#Fated: S3: Chapter 2

[thecapricunt1616]

Eucalyptus (c.b. one-shot)

𝓢𝓷𝓲𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓽 (𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓑𝓣𝓒): You however - were having a horrid time on your solo trip to France so far. You could not believe how mean people were being to you on the simple basis you didn’t know much French, so when you heard a man ask something in perfect French to a customer service attendance and then leave a voicemail in perfect English? You knew who you needed to help you with the stupid customs form you’d been stuck with. You tug your suitcase which unfortunately had a bum wheel, up to the blonde Greek statue esc handsome man, expecting to see a flashy wedding ring (surprising to you you didn’t ) ��hi! You speak French! And English.” You said boldly with a kind smile, hoping since he looked to be about your age he would want to help you out. 

♡ Chapter Inspo: Eucalyptus has become a wonderful symbol of strength, protection, confidence, and abundance. As such, Australian Aboriginals practiced burning eucalyptus leaves to purify and negate negative energy and saw eucalyptus as a sacred plant. ♡ Summary: Based on ♡this♡ request from a lovely anon, I'm sorry this took so long but I hope you enjoy! ♡ W/C: 2,151 ♡ A/N: Oooo 2 posts in one day were on a roll! Hopefully this roll rolls all the way until this next season is out so I can get my inbox ready for the new wave of fans eeee! Cant believe S3 is LESS then one week away!!!! I hope that you guys like this one I'm trying hard to work on my fluff and make it better hehe ♡ Warnings for BTC: None really other then swearing!

♡ 𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 ♡ ➵ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 ♡ ➵ 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 ♡ ➵ 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 / 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵 ♡ ➵ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 ♡

Carmy had passed out from high blood pressure exactly 4 weeks ago now. At that time, Natalie had begged -neigh- demanded that Carmy takes some time off of work in order to both recoup, and relax. Carmy and relax usually wouldn’t go together in the same sentence, but he was being forced - and if he didn’t comply Natalie said she would quit, and he desperately needed her for the books. 

So, In leu of taking any real vacation time - he had decided to go to Paris for some culinary inspiration, do a few food tours, take some good notes - become inspired again. He couldn’t lie - at least to himself - it did really help him in regards to his love for creativity. He was feeling a lot more inspired then he was when he had left Chicago, so he counted that as a win. 

He had gotten at least half a moleskin journals worth of notes and ideas when he headed back to the airport that fateful Saturday evening to take his overnight flight back to his hometown. 

You however - were having a horrid time on your solo trip to France so far. You could not believe how mean people were being to you on the simple basis you didn’t know much French, so when you heard a man ask something in perfect French to a customer service attendance and then leave a voicemail in perfect English? You knew who you needed to help you with the stupid customs form you’d been stuck with. 

You tug your suitcase which unfortunately had a bum wheel, up to the blonde Greek statue esc handsome man, expecting to see a flashy wedding ring (surprising to you you didn’t ) “hi! You speak French! And English.” You said boldly with a kind smile, hoping since he looked to be about your age he would want to help you out. 

His head pops up, eyes flicking from your face to your chest to your hips back to your face “mmhmm” he hums. “And a bit of danish. What about it?” He countered. 

Smart ass you wanted to chide, but - this sexy sarcastic stranger needed to remain in your good graces for him to want to help you, so you bit your tongue and instead replied 

“Perfect! This form” you hold it out to him “they just mumbled that I was an American idiot when I asked her for the English version, can you go ask them in French?” You asked. He snorted a sarcastic laugh 

“I’m not asking those French assholes shit. I’ll help you fill it out if you want, though” he said, moving his backpack to the empty seat on the other side of him. You giggled a bit and sat down next to him, handing the form over

 “I can tell you the information and you can write it in French then, right?” You asked, digging in your fanny pack for a pen since you didn’t know how to ask the customer service for one- which meant they’d laugh or belittle you for doing so. 

“Sounds like a deal. Won’t even charge” he teases which made you smile, pulling the pink sparkly pen out and handing it over. 

“Alright-“ he clicked, getting started. By the time you both had went through all the questions and gotten to talking you’d found out that you were actually seat mates and were bound to sit together on the entire 8 hour flight back so even if you hadn’t been so incompetent in your French skills, you’d have met anyways. 

You’d both been happy you made friendly though, when there was an announcement over the loudspeaker due to severe thunderstorms over the flight path - your flight would be delayed for at least 3 hours. “Well shit” he muttered, causing you to giggle a bit. 

“You swear a lot.” You teased and he looked over 

“From fuckin Chicago- tellin me Y’don’t swear?” He asked and you shrug, a slight smile on your lips 

“Not like you, you swear like a boy” you got up, cropped juicy sweater showing off your pretty lower back tattoo. “I want a drink. You coming or are you gonna keep sitting around looking like a sad Australian shepherd?” You teased, grabbing your suitcase with the bum wheel and nearly rolling your eyes as it toppled over embarrassingly 

“Well it looks like you need an escort” he stood up, grabbing the bag with ease by its handle and pressing the rolling handle closed with a smooth click. “What’s your drink of choice?” He fixed his backpack on his shoulders as the two of you walked back towards the shopping and dining area of the Paris airport. 

“It’s honestly just my luck it broke on my way home to be honest. Also, I would say something fruity and sweet. Let me guess, you’re a whiskey guy?” You mused, pushing up your sunglasses like a headband  as you made your way together. 

“Scotch. I could have guessed you were a fruity kinda girl” he said and lifted your suitcase “also what the fuck do you have in here, a ton of bricks?” He teased and you giggle a bit. 

“Have you ever met a girl? I needed like a bunch of underwear and shoes and - well actually that’s just my carryon. So it has like 2 outfits in case we get stranded and all my medicines and chargers and shoes. Oh and books! Those stupid assholes. I would have been done with reading my latest If they hadn’t stuck me with that useless form.” You grumbled, hiking your large tote bag on to your arm. 

He chuckled a bit “s’you read a lot mm?” He sets the suitcase on an empty seat at the bar and pulls the one next to it out for you, motioning for you to sit down. You smiled a bit at the gentlemanly action, sitting down and getting comfortable 

“I guess, well when I have free time really. I’d assume you don’t get much of that working in a restaurant mm?” You flicked over the menu half mindedly. You didn’t drink much, but what the hell you were still on vacation. 

“Not really no, well- I can make time. I just haven’t felt a real need to as of late” he said and you felt your heart flutter at the way he was quick to let you know his schedule could be cleared if he had notice for it, you were headed to the same city after all. 

“So you live in Chicago too, then. I mean- you work there, living there only makes sense” you look over and he does the same. His eyes were literally piercing. The bluest you’d ever seen before, you didn’t think eyes could be that blue. It made your cheeks feel hot to have them on you. 

“Yeah- born’n’raised. Went to uh- well came here, F’school, culinary school. Then went over to Copenhagen, then uh.. California for a bit, then New York- but I’m back in Chicago for the long haul it seems” he nodded the bartender over “just a scotch double straight, whatever you have on the top shelf, and then whatever she’s having- you can keep it open” he handed her his AMEX black credit card and you nibbled the inside of your lip. 

He got top shelf, maybe that means you should?

“Uh… yeah I’ll have a gimlet please, with Gin Mare” you slid the menu back next to you and she nodded and went to making the drinks. 

“Gin mm, so you’re a light liquor kinda person?” he slid his wallet back in his pocket. 

You shrugged “dark liquor tastes like wood most of the time. I dunno how you can stand it” you smiled a bit. For about another hour you two sat and chatted over drinks, before the topic of French hot chocolate came up. 

“You’ve never tried it?” He asked, cheeks flushed from the alcohol and a sweet smirk on his face. 

“No? Is it something to write home about? I thought it was an American thing, hot chocolate. Is it not?” You questioned and he chuckled more like giggled due to both of your tipsy states 

“Hot chocolate is Mexican. But I’ll give it to you cus’Mexicos in North America. Cmon- y’gotta have it before you leave- bartender!!” He waved her down and closed his tab. You frowned when you realized he didn’t leave a tip for her, so you dug a 20 pound note out of your wallet and leave it on the counter under the glass while he collected your suitcase. 

While you grabbed your tote bag the bartender scoffed, grabbing the note “Casse-toi! Stupid American” she crumpled it and threw it at your chest. 

“Vraiment désolé, Vraiment désolé” Carmy mutters, quickly picking up the note and dragging you out by your arm gently while chuckling quietly as you rapid fire question about what the hell just happened. 

“You don’t tip here. Not just at restaurants but bars - anywhere. That’s like- rude to them.” He led you outside the airport, hailing a cab for the two of you easily which you could never seem to do as easily. 

“Well- fuck. I didn’t realize! What did she say? Was it mean? They really aren’t afraid to be mean here for some reason. Maybe the cultures just like that” you sigh softly to yourself, trying to take the suitcase from him to put in the trunk but he shrugged you off 

“Got it, no worries” he pulled open the door for you. “Also, she just said fuck off, and you know the rest. And I just profusely apologized - even though I wonder what would happen if I just called em a fuckin’ idiot back but I don’t wanna get in a fistfight if it goes that way” he put the suitcase in the trunk and got in after you, telling the man the name of the bistro 

“You’ve been in a real fight?” You question with a smirk, buckling yourself in. Your hand brushed his and then was when you realized that his fingers were tattooed. You had been eying the ones on his arms, but hadn’t noticed the others until now. You wanted to hold them, to observe them, to suck on them. He had such pretty hands. 

“Yo” he nudged you gently “you good?” He asked and you realized you didn’t even know how long you’d been sat staring at his hands 

“Your hands have tattoos!” You said the first thing that came to your mind and he chuckled a bit, holding them out and looking 

“They do. Is that alright?” He folded them back in his lap again 

“That’s more then alright- can I see them?” You gently took his hand with your manicured one and brushed your thumb over his knuckles. “S O U - what’s that?” You ask gently 

“Sense of urgency, how we do everything in a kitchen” the car comes to a stop and he handed them a ten pound note before opening the door and offering his hand to you to help you slide out to which you gratefully accepted. 

He led you inside the quaint little cafe helping you get set up at a table with your bags and telling you that he’d be back with your drinks and to just relax so you didn’t have to worry about your belongings since he just had his backpack. He returned with 2 smallish mugs and spoons as well as 2 enormous croissants. “Holy shit-“ you giggle as he set them down 

“I know, I know. But these are mostly air anyway! You’ll see, don’t tell me you haven’t had one here - you were gonna leave Paris, without one?” He questioned and ripped part of his off, dunking it in his mug before having a bite and you did the same, mouth dropping at how thick it was. 

“See! Told you.”

“How am I ever supposed to go back to regular hot chocolate after this!” You took your spoon, having a bite of the delicious pudding like texture 

“I think about that all the time. I can’t have hot chocolate unless I make it this way, and it’s just a pain in the fuckin ass because French cream is a bitch to get out there but I do it twice a year probably” he said and your eyes widen in delight. 

“Oh I totally keep forgetting you cook! Well I’ll be commissioning you to make this for me then when we’re back home” you mused and nudge his knee with yours playfully. 

“I do cook, and I’d be happy to, you can commission me any time- but… you’d need my number for that, right?” He said and you felt your cheeks heat, heart thumping in your chest. 

“I would…and you know having mine too wouldn’t hurt, right?” 

“I thought you’d never offer” 

Fin

[hugmekenobi]

S3: The Bad Batch (6)

Chapter Six: Infiltration

Gif by @timetodiverge

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Ever since Eriadu, Clone Force 99 had been a fractured squad. Months have passed but you're finally back with the Batch but Omega is still out there and you won't stop until you find her again.

Chapter Summary: A reunion with Rex unveils some more intel

Masterlist for S1 and S2

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, light spice (making out, dirty talk, teasing touches, praise, nickname 'sweetheart'), I make up Fireball lore, brief call back to Order 66, general threatening atmosphere, I also dance around the M-count stuff (please be nice and just accept it lol), suggestions of misuse of the Force for interrogation purposes, brief mention of food and referenced character deaths

Word Count: 4.3K

Author's notes: Don't get excited about CX-2 because I still haven't thought about a way around his fate in S3 finale and my current plan is probably going to be very boring lol. Also Ch7 is out too!

The meeting between Senator Chuchi and Senator Singh had started promising until a rather crude assassination attempt disrupted matters.

Unfortunately, Greer had fallen victim to the black armoured assassin– the grim silver lining being that he was the only casualty and they’d managed to capture the shadow clone sent after the senators.

--

As the ship flew through hyperspace, Rex and Howzer stared at the unconscious assassin- both of them wondering how such a change was possible. There was a distinct different to the clones that had remained loyal to the Empire and these shadow clones.

“Think he’ll cooperate?” Howzer asked apprehensively.

“I wouldn’t count on it, but we have to try.” Rex replied.

“We recovered this from his gear.” Howzer pulled out the puck. “It’s a data puck. Highly encrypted.”

“Have Fireball find out what’s on it when we get back to base camp.”

--

Teth

Rex stepped into the interrogation room to join the two other clones already in there and he saw that the clone assassin still unconscious. “Did you extract the device?”

Howzer handed it to him, “The electro capsule was implanted in one of his teeth. Just like you said. His identifying number’s been wiped too.” Howzer stared on the clone, “What exactly did the Empire do to him?”

No sooner had Howzer finished his sentence, did the clone open his eyes.

Rex knelt in front of him, “What’s your name, trooper?” He was met with stony silence, so he tried a different approach. “Listen, no matter what they did to you, no matter what you’ve done, you’re still a clone. Still one of us. I can help you, but we need answers.” Again, he was met with no reply, and he got the sinking feeling that whatever the Empire had done to him couldn’t be easily undone.

--

Tantiss

Scorch entered the communications office to stand in front of the holographic image of CX-2.

“Why have I been activated?” Came the modulated voice that had an air of contempt to it.

“One of the other operatives has gone dark. His internal homing device remains intact. So, we know he’s alive.”

“My orders?”

“He’s been compromised. Track him down and neutralize him.”

--

“We know there are others like you. Where are you based? Coruscant? Daro?” Rex asked. They’d been at this for hours now and all they’d gotten out of the clone was a series of hateful glares. “Tantiss?” That finally got a different reaction, the clone’s eye’s widening gave him away. “Oh, yeah, we know about Tantiss. And the clones imprisoned there. Were you one of them? Tell us where it is.” He said, more force behind his words now but again, the clone stayed quiet.

Rex shared a glance with Howzer who jutted his head and the two of them came together closer by the door.

“You need to push him harder.” Howzer stated in a hushed voice.

It had been what he’d been hoping to avoid but it was looking like all other alternatives were ineffective. Rex sighed but before he could do anything else, the door whirred open, and Fireball called his name.

“Rex.”

Rex and Howzer left the clone in the room with Nemec and met up with Fireball.

“The data puck was a target register.” Fireball revealed.

“Who was he after?” Howzer asked.

“Senator Singh. But that wasn’t the only person on his list.” He activated the device and showed the first image.

Rex saw the slight unease in Fireballs face as he changed to the next image and noticed a distinct sinking feeling in his stomach as he recognised the two targets. “Contact Echo and Hunter. We need to let them know.”

Fireball nodded and went of to do just that.

“We should bring them here.” Howzer insisted.

“No. No. I- I don’t want to involve them in this.”

“It’s too late for that.” Howzer said simply. “Crosshair is with them. This is our chance to question him.”

“Echo’s already done that.”

“But we haven’t. He knows more than he’s saying. If you want to locate Tantiss, then we need him to talk.” He moved away from him.

Rex thought through Howzer’s words and whilst he didn’t want to drag you all into this, he had to admit that Howzer was right.

Howzer paused after a couple of paces and turned around. “Rex.”

Rex angled himself to face him.

“You’ve talked about the kid before, but the woman, who is she?”

--

Strong hands gripped your hips as they backed you into the wall of the Marauder and an agreeable groan left your throat at the enthusiastic insistence of the man currently kissing you with such fervour and hunger, it made your head spin. You attempted to weave your fingers in his dark locks, but you didn’t get very far.

Not breaking away from you, Hunter gathered your wrists in one of his own hands and raised your arms above your head. His hold was strong as pressed them into the metal wall, not to hurt but to send the message that that’s precisely where you were going to keep them for this time alone that the two of you had managed to coordinate for yourselves.

You were utterly powerless to resist- not that you wanted to. You had to pull away for air eventually, but Hunter never faltered, he just turned his attentions to the rest of you and your body arched into him to rid yourselves of any offensive gaps between you.

Hunter pressed doting kisses to the skin of your neck, teeth scraping along your pulse point. “What do you want, sweetheart?” He murmured seductively.

Breathless whimpers were the only noises that came from your mouth. You were overwhelmed by him, by the feeling of his body pushing against yours, by the sensation of his touch, by his lips. Words were hopeless a hopeless venture with him against you like this.

Hunter grinned against your skin before he kissed the hollow of your throat. He pushed his thigh between your legs and relished in the soft moan that left your lips. He trailed his lips across your jaw as he rasped, “Tell me what you want.” He kissed the sensitive spot behind your ear.

Your entire body was pliant against him, and you couldn’t fathom one single word of basic due to his ministrations.

Hunter continued what he was doing, and he moved to the underside of your jaw, “Do you want my fingers?” He hovered his lips a mere few inches from yours before whispering in a low voice, “Do you want my mouth?”

And when he felt your pulse quicken at that last one, he brought his lips back to yours and kissed you deeply, teasingly. “You want my mouth, sweetheart?” He uttered softly against your lips whilst simultaneously applying more pressure between your legs with this. He swallowed your moan with another kiss before he started to lower himself to his knees.

Your hands scrambled for purchase against the wall, and you just about managed a nod as he mouthed his way down your still clothed body. You inhaled shakily as you felt his gloved hands dip under your layers stroke against the bare skin of your stomach before they suggestively toyed with the waistband of your leggings. “Yes, that’s what I want.” You panted, the dark lust you saw behind his brown eyes had you weak at the knees.

Hunter smirked up at you. “Good girl.” With that he properly took a hold of the waistband and got ready to pull them down.

And then the most objectionable and devastating of sounds materialised around you and the delicious anticipation of what was about to happen instantly evaporated as reality came crashing down around you.

Hunter paused what he was about to do and exhaled a deeply dissatisfied sigh as he readjusted your clothing.

“And I want that to be a software glitch and not our comms going off.” You grumbled; the words punctuated by you lightly banging the back of your head against the wall in annoyance.

“Hunter, (Y/N), do either of you copy?”

Hunter hung his head in his own disappointment before he stood up tall. He kissed your cheek before pressing his comm, “Yeah, we copy, Echo.” He confirmed.

“What’s going on?” You asked as both you and Hunter slipped back into your squad roles.

“Rex got in touch. We need go. Now.”

You two grabbed your gear and hurried out the Marauder to head for Echo’s ship.

--

“So, where exactly are we headed?” Hunter asked Echo as the ship travelled through hyperspace.

“It’s a base of sorts.”

“I thought your rendezvous with Gregor was top priority.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll pick him up after dropping you lot off.”

“Any idea why Rex wants us there so urgently?” You asked as you rubbed Batcher’s belly. The hound’s demands of attention were the distraction you needed from the growing nerves surrounding going to a base made entirely up of clones and although you knew they had no loyalty to the Empire, you weren’t sure how far that sentiment would extend with regards to you.

“He didn’t say. But it must be important.”

Hunter pondered over this for a moment before he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced around his chair and thoughtfully observed Crosshair and Omega- who had a toothpick of her own- and she was mirroring the way Crosshair was using it. The behaviour was typically exhibited by her when she felt particularly close to someone or looked up to them in some way. Clearly their experience in Tantiss had it had brought them close in ways he hadn’t considered or in ways they- particularly Crosshair- were yet to fully realise.

You and Wrecker had been paying Batcher some attention, but you stopped as you noticed the way Hunter had looked between Crosshair and Omega. You saw what he saw but as you reached into the Force around him to get a gauge of his feelings, it wasn’t jealousy or hurt behind his eyes, it was more contemplative. She’ll have to learn to be a moody teenager from someone. You smiled over at him as he half-turned to face you.

You felt a wet nose nudge your palm and you went back to petting Batcher.

--

Teth

Rex and Howzer watched as the ship landed. Once the doors opened, they went to meet up with the oncoming group.

“They don’t look happy to see us.” Wrecker said. “Just like old times, huh?” He remarked cheerfully with a nudge to Crosshair’s back.

“Are you alright?” Echo asked as he saw you had yet to follow the others out.

“Yup.” You answered distantly as your hand subconsciously came to unclip and reclip your lightsaber to your belt.

Echo picked up on your tense fidgeting. “Rex assured me that it wouldn’t be an issue.”

“I know, I know.” You inhaled a calming breath and jogged to catch up with the group.

--

“Thanks for coming.” Rex said as Hunter’s squad came to a halt in front of him. He then nodded at you and Omega.

You had heard the hushed whispers and murmurs from the surrounding clones as you’d approached the rest of the group and you saw the brief moment of shock that flashed across the features of the clone next to Rex. “They already knew before I walked out here.” You guessed, their reactions and shared looks told you that it wasn’t just because they only just noticed the lightsaber on your belt.

“I, uh, filled a few of them in before your arrival. Word travels fast but some of them still didn’t believe it and, well, some of us knew already. I’ve been to quite a few Outer Rim planets… you haven’t exactly been laying low in recent months.” Rex replied, glancing curiously as you.

You sighed, “Fair point. It’s certainly been an… interesting time.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Rex reassured you. “We all have that past to contend with.”

“Well, that’s comforting I suppose.” You said lightly before you fell into place beside Hunter.

“It’s good to see you, Rex.” Hunter said sincerely.

“Wish I felt the same.”

You all glanced to the hostile voice of the clone beside Rex who was glaring at Crosshair.

“I have unfinished business with this one.” Howzer stated as he kept his sights firmly on Crosshair. “Remember me?”

Crosshair just stared at him blankly.

“Surprised I’m alive? Most of my squad from Ryloth is dead because of you.” Howzer spat.

“Easy Howzer.” Rex cautioned. “I know you two have history. But we’re all on the same side now.”

Howzer only released a doubtful scoff, but he eased off.

“Why’d you call us here, Captain?” Hunter asked.

“We have something to show you. Follow me.” He led the way to the base.

You got ready to follow behind, but Echo’s voice made you and Wrecker pause.

“Omega!”

Omega turned and ran back to the ship.

“I was planning on giving you this after I made a few more modifications. But, uh, now’s as good a time as any.”

Omega released an excited gasp as she examined the weapon. “An energy crossbow. Where did you get it?” She eagerly took it from him.

Echo laughed, “Well, I’ve made a few interesting contacts across the galaxy.”

She activated it and the green glow of energy hummed strongly before she turned it off. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Echo.”

“Well, I won’t be gone long. You better head inside and, uh, keep them in line.”

They shared in a salute before Omega dashed off the ship to rejoin you and Wrecker and the three of you made your own way to the building.

--

“Your numbers are growing.” Hunter commented as he saw the clones in the room.

“Well, we need all the help we can get. Once we find the exact coordinates of the Tantiss Base, we have to hit it hard if we’re gonna pull our brothers out of there.” Rex said, coming to a stop by the centre console. “I have questions about the facility but that’s not the only reason why I sent for you.” He picked up the puck and chucked it to Hunter. “We recovered a target list from an Imperial operative. And both of them are on it.”

“Not a surprise. You’ve got a Jedi and someone who escaped Imperial custody.” Crosshair replied, sounding bored as he put a toothpick between his lips.

“So did you. But you’re not on the list.” Howzer retorted.

“Guess I’m not as valuable to them.”

“Or you’re feeding them information.” Howzer accused.

Hunter frowned at that and came to his brother’s defence. “You’re gonna have to back down, Captain.” He warned sternly.

“You expect us to believe he was held on Tantiss for months, but he doesn’t know how to get back there?” Howzer said angrily.

Crosshair removed his toothpick and faced up against Howzer. “Whether you believe me or not, it’s the truth.” He waited for his words to sink in before speaking again, “But I’m not loyal to the Empire any longer.”

That wasn’t enough for Howzer. “Your squad may trust you. But I don’t.”

Any further argument was cut short as the doors whirred open again and they all looked to see you, Wrecker and Omega come in.

You almost ran into the clone that was exiting at the same time and your eyes widened as you saw his face. “Fireball?!” You gasped as you recognised the clone that had been your trusty second in command of the battalion you had been assigned during the war.

“General?” Fireball replied, completely stunned as he instinctively straightened his posture. When he’d seen your holo-image, part of him still couldn’t believe it. Even with Rex’s confirmation, he still had his doubts but that all vanished that very second as he heard your voice. As he saw your face. As you were standing in front of him. It really was you.

You couldn’t help it; you gave him a quick hug. “It’s been years! I’d heard Master Tobar Ka-Teen took over from me…” You trailed off and cursed yourself as you realised the added effect of your words and you immediately became apologetic. “Fireball-”

“About that day… I did- and Order 66- I couldn’t- And I know if it had been you, I know I wouldn’t have been able to resist-” He stuttered.

You placed a hand on his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault, Fireball. I’m not holding anything against you.”

Fireball released a sigh of relief before he said, “There’s something else you need to know, General.” He jutted his head over to the others before he headed out the room.

You then saw the way Rex, Hunter, Crosshair and Howzer were all glancing between you and Omega. You felt the tension in the Force around them as you approached. “What’s going on?”

“The Empire’s targeting you-” Crosshair started to say.

Wrecker let out a dry chuckle. “No surprise there.”

“Yeah, we already knew that.” You replied with an unconcerned shrug.

“And Omega… again.” Crosshair added.

That got your attention and achieved a sufficient amount of worry. You came to stand just beside Wrecker and behind the young girl. Your voice was serious as you asked, “Do we know why?”

“Not yet.” Rex answered before he addressed Omega, “Why were they after you before?”

“To force Nala Se to cooperate and conduct certain experiments.”

“Which were what?”

“She was working on something involving M-Count? I don’t know what that means, but they were taking blood samples from everyone, even me.”

“They were looking at your M-count?” You repeated. You thought through the possibilities but dismissed the main one that ran through your head because surely you would’ve sensed if she had that particular potential. You racked your brain for other theories but came up empty.

“Uh huh.” Omega glanced up at you curiously.

Her inquisitive look matched the expression the rest of them were giving you. “I know how it can be significant, but I have no idea as to how it would relate to her or any clone that matter.” You admitted ruefully.

Rex took a knee in front of Omega. “What else can you tell us?”

“When we escaped, there wasn’t enough time to free the other clones. We have to find a way to get them out.” She said resolutely.

Rex rested a hand on her shoulder. “We will.”

The door opened again, and Fireball re-entered holding a bowl of food. “Chow time!” He announced. “Gregor’s recipe, with a few spicy modifications.”

“Oh, now you’re talking.” Wrecker said eagerly, leading the way as he, Batcher and Omega went to the table.

You watched them go with a small smile before Crosshair’s voice brought you back to the discussion at hand.

“Wait. There’s more you should know.” He paused for a second as he readied himself for what he was about to say. “Not all of the clones on Tantiss are prisoners. Some are loyal to the Empire. There is a division of clones trained as specialised operatives and initiated into a secret deep cover program run by Hemlock.” His voice grew quieter as he recalled the time spent in that room. “Their identities are erased. They undergo conditioning. The few that make it through come out different.”

“If the program’s so secretive, how do you know about it?” Howzer questioned suspiciously.

“Because they tried to make me into one of them.”

“Tried?”

“It didn’t work. Being defective is in my nature.” He finished his explanation.

“You’ve encountered one before. The assassin on Coruscant.” Hunter said.

“We’ve known they existed but never knew exactly what they were.” Rex said cagily.

It wasn’t just their visual mannerisms that gave them away, you felt the evasiveness around them. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Rex hesitated a moment before he said, “We captured one. I’ve tried questioning him, but he hasn’t been very cooperative.”

“This is where you come in.” Howzer said to you.

You noticed the grimace on Rex’s face and regarded the clone captain warily. “What do you expect me to do about it?”

“Well, you’re a Jedi, aren’t you?”

You gave a single slow nod of your head as you awaited further information.

“You’ve got certain… skillsets.” He took half a step closer to you. “Ones of persuasion that we don’t have.”

You realised what he was getting at. You shook your head. “That only works on the weak-minded and from what Crosshair just described, he’s anything but. No clone is.”

“You could make it work though if you really had to. You could get him to say what we needed him to.”

“Captain-” You objected as you sensed his growing desperation- it was rolling off him in waves.

“But could you do it?” He took another step towards you.

“Doing so verges on torture, Captain.” You attempted to explain. You felt Hunter gravitate closer to you in response to Howzer’s movement.

“But could you do it?” He asked again.

You remembered the last time three Jedi tried that- against Cad Bane of all people- and the impact had nearly been disastrous. You held his stare with a strong one of your own and spoke steadily and with plenty of conviction behind your words. “One, I don’t have that kind of power.”

“But-”

“Two, even if I wanted to, it could destroy his mind and you get nothing.”

“The time for debate is long gone. We need the information.” Howzer insisted. “It’s a risk-”

Further debate was silenced as Crosshair interrupted, traces of panic in his voice. “You have one here? Alive?”

Rex nodded.

“Impossible. The Empire would be on top of us already. They have ways of tracking their operatives.”

“We scanned him. He’s clear.” Howzer said.

“It’s not the kind of tracker your scans would pick up.” Crosshair asserted. “Hemlock’s smarter than that.”

“Where’s the operative? Show us.” Hunter requested.

--

Sneaking into the base had been all to easy and as he scanned the room ahead with the scope of his sniper rifle, he saw the other two targets in the room, but they weren’t his first priority. He’d bide his time with them. He retreated back outside.

First, he had to give Scorch the news about the targets and his location for the Recovery Strike Team.

Then there was the other operative to take care of.

Then he could get his hands on the next set of targets that were so easily within his grasp.

--

The five of you stood in the interrogation room and studied the cuffed clone in front of you.

You weren’t sure if it was solely because of the look of pure disgust he gave you as you walked in, but there was disturbance in the Force that you couldn’t just dismiss. Your guard was up.

Crosshair inhaled a sharp breath as the clone then looked directly at him, “We need to leave. Now.”

You glanced at Crosshair and saw a level of fear you’d never witnessed from the clone before. It sent a chill down your spine.

“If you want answers so badly, why aren’t you asking him?” The clone sneered as he looked at the familiar clone ahead of him. “Right, brother?”

“He’s lying.” Crosshair shifted uncomfortably as all of your eyes fixed on him.

The dark, menacing voice of the operative spoke up again. “You’re right about one thing. They are coming for all of you.”

An explosion suddenly rang outside.

“Comms are down.” Rex said as he attempted to check in with those patrolling the perimeter. Another dark chuckle from the assassin clone told him their time was up. “We move out. Now!”

Howzer opened the door but just as he went to press the button, you sensed what was about to come.

“Rex!” You shoved him down just as the shots fired and dove to cover but you couldn’t stop them as they hit the operative in the centre of his chest. You tugged your coverings up just as the others put on their helmets.

“We’ve got a shooter out here!” Wrecker yelled as he put his helmet on and provided a round of cover fire for you all to get out of that room and to better cover.

“Shots coming from the back of the room!” Omega yelled from her position.

“Nemec, we need to get comms online” Rex said.

Nemec went to the centre console at a crouch, but a shot made contact with the exposed wire and all he saw was the light of an explosion as his body was flung backwards into a crate. He struggled to get back up as he fought for consciousness.

“Backup plan. Into the command post!” Rex ordered before looking at Wrecker and Omega. “I’ll cover you!” He timed it out. “Go!” He stood up and fired on the assailant as he helped Nemec to his feet.

You began running with the others but paused as you realised Fireball had split off from the rest of you. You saw him grab a flamethrower and run directly towards the attacker. “Fireball!” You yelled in warning, but Hunter pulled your arm to get you to follow the rest of them back to the room.

Rex could only watch in dismay as Fireball took a shot to the shoulder and crashed into a crate of grenades, but the flamethrower was still activated.

The resulting series of violent explosions had the roof of the base collapsing and Rex was left with no choice but to sprint back to the room. He dived through the entrance just as it was completely blocked by rubble, and it was then he felt a stray piece of rock collide against his helmet and black spots clouded his vision.

--

The Recovery Strike Team entered the planet’s atmosphere.

“Commander, we’ve lost contact with the operative.”

“Prepare to land and set blasters to stun. Our orders are to retrieve the targets alive.”

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @arctrooper69, @dominoeffectsworld, @andreaaxy, @notgonnaedit, @nightmonkeysstuff

[kitchenisking]

yellow bonnet, muddy glove by BananaChef - (Rating: T, Words: 11,87)

“I love it,” he says, drawing her gaze back to his face. Colin retrieves his own plain handkerchief from where it is tucked inside his breast pocket and replaces it with his new gift from Pen. “Here.” He places his handkerchief in one of her hands and folds her other hand over it. “Now you have something from me, too.”

(Or: Colin and Penelope's friendship began many years before they married, and I know we all want to see it.)

Mother Knows Best by Mariequitecontrarie - (Rating: T, Words: 11,037)

A look at Season 3 told through character studies and “missing” scenes between Polin and their mothers, mostly Colin and Violet.

Come to Your Senses by canyonoflight - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 16,148)

A non-linear telling of Colin and Penelope's friendship, their relationships with others, and how they finally come to their senses after years of being apart.

hear it in the silence by liziana - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 5,230)

Life has certainly changed since Penelope and Colin became parents. As a typically chaotic day bleeds into a sleepless night, Penelope wonders if she’ll ever get a moment alone with her handsome husband. And when she finally does, are they ready to add another to their family?

Lady Whistledown's Amends by fatalfantasies_26 - (Rating: Mature, Words: 4,151)

Pen’s Whistledown cloak has just been laundered. Why? She hasn’t used it since Colin discovered her that night. Colin confronts her, she has a silly, forgivable explanation, and then he has an idea. Pen has apologized to him for her Lady Whistledown actions but…Lady Whistledown herself has not properly made amends. Put the cloak on, Pen. Only the cloak.

CW: Light sexual violence, with consent, because Colin is our consent king.

After the Butterfly Ball: a brief conversation between Rae and Penelope by ScarletFruit73 - (Rating: T, Words: 491)

Colin has just left Penelope’s side for the first time since the events of the Butterfly Ball. Rae seizes her chance to have a much needed conversation. Pregnancy discovery as wished for by many fans. Show universe.

Left to the Imagination by LizzieeeeeeeeeD - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 19,626)

Colin and Penelope sealed their fate in the carriage then anticipated their marriage vows only hours later. The friends, who had spent years toeing the line of propriety, were now lovers.

Navigating from their tender moment with the mirror to a happily ever after had its ups and downs. We saw much turmoil, but what about the rest?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is no way Pen and Colin had one romp on a chaise lounge then nothing till after the Butterfly ball. So I have written some missing scenes that were left to our imagination.

Starting after their first time and ending around where the show concludes, I’ve written some fillers for what could have been without all the side plots. Each chapter is chronological and can be read on its own or in order, as long as you watched part 2 of S3, you can follow this story. I’m not changing what was given to us or the events of S3, only adding some scenes in between. All Polin of course.

a dance for two by candlelight by Demisexual Colin Bridgerton (karawrites) - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 4,216)

A waltz by the warming glow of candles, another dance—far more heady—and a return to the mirror.

With My Past, For Our Future by napoleonhart - (Rating: G, Words: 1,721)

s03e07 missing scene: Colin visits Penelope the night before their wedding.

You’re More Than A Ten! by msrbland - (Rating: Not Rated, Words: 5,365)

The time Colin was drunk and confessed his feelings about his best friend to a tiktok interviewer on the street.

[dragonfly0808]

The Original Ending of S3

So, we all know that s3 was brutal, it was filled with tragedy, angst and just, a lot of stuff went down that the squad is still working through HOWEVER there is one thing that I changed my mind on around halfway through the season, and that is… the ending

So here, I’ll be explaining what the original ending of s3 was supposed to be and why I changed it, obviously MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SEASON 3

Bloom’s Enchantix and Valtor’s fate were the 2 things that were mainly changed.

Originally, Bloom wasn’t going to get her Enchantix until the final battle against the Ancestral Witches.

Essentially what was going to happen was that, Valtor was going to use his connection to the Ancestral Witches to trap them in his own body and tell Bloom to kill him, this was going to happen close to some kind of lava pit created during the battle.

Bloom would stab him in the heart but, in a last desperate attempt, the Witches take control of Valtor for just long enough to snap Bloom’s neck.

Bloom gains Enchantix and, after being confused for a second, as Valtor (now back in control and telling her to let him fall into the pit since she won’t let go) falls into the pit, she’d realize that killing Valtor=to saving Domino.

And that chapter was going to end with the phrase “Enchantix… what a fucking joke.”

Valtor was going to die permanently and Daphne’s spirit was going to vanish.

Now… I think you can see why I chose to change this cause I love angst but this was taking it just a wee bit too far and I just couldn’t see any realistic way that Bloom would ever be able to ever recover from that, it was just too depressing.

I also grew to really love Valtor’s character and I didn’t want to only have him for a single season and felt like I could still do a lot with his character. This felt like too cruel an ending not just for Bloom but also for him and Daphne.

So… yeah… the original ending of s3 was a whole lot more traumatic than it ended up being.

[thetargaryenbride]

Nail To The Coffin - S3 - Chapter 1

Warnings: chasing, hitting 

Pairing: Steve Harrington x f!Byers!Reader

Word Count: 4560

A.N: So, season 3 begins. I warn you in advance, this season is gonna get freaky and dark haha Billy and reader's fate gets even more intertwined and lots of angst will follow. Hang in there, dearest readers. Also, WE CELEBRATE HITTING 100K WORDS 🤩🥳 As always, please do make me know if I’ve written certain characters OOC and if you think there is something that can be corrected within the story. Thank you for reading. Hope you like it! 🖤 🥀

Masterlist || S2, Chapter 9 || Chapter 2

Late June 1985, Starcourt Mall, Hawkins

“Alright, hang on a second,” chuckled Robin in disbelief. “You are serious about this? You actually have a girlfriend?”

“Uh, yeah?” Steve lifted his shoulders and furrowed his brows at Robin’s expression of pure cynicism.

“And we’re thinking and talking about the same person, right? Y/N Byers?”

“Yeah, since November. Why is this so hard to believe?” groaned the boy and Robin did a double-take.

“I don’t know, maybe-maybe because she is actually gorgeous and like, prodigy-level smart and you are…you,” she shot him something like a pitying expression and he glared.

“Thank you so much for the confidence boost.”

“Just sayin',” she shrugged before popping a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and he let out a huff before closing the window in her face.

A couple of minutes ago, Steve had told Robin how excited he was that you were coming back from California and she decided to pull his leg. Of course, she knew you were his girlfriend. She had seen you two being all lovey-dovey at school on a couple of occasions. But she just loved messing around with her silly co-worker.  

Not even a minute later, repetitive ringing could be heard and Robin turned around and walked to the counter, rolling her eyes at the group of kids who were hitting the bell again and again.

“Hey, dingus!” she sing sang as she leaned on the counter. “Your children are here!”

“Again? Seriously?” asked Steve defeated as he slid open the window to look at the group and Mike shrugged.

He let out a long exhausted sigh but beckoned them in anyways, opening the backdoors to let them sneak into the staff hallways from where they could enter the cinema unnoticed. 

“I swear if anybody hears about this-“

“We’re dead!” they echoed at the same time and he shook his head before heading back inside and joining Robin up front at the counter. She sent him an ironic look and he grumbled under his breath.

“Excuse me? Can I order a U.S.S butterscotch sundae?” came in a familiar voice and Steve’s head snapped to look at the person, eyes widening in surprise.

“Y/N!” he all but shouted as his face lit up in excitement while Robin looked on with stupor as the boy pretty much threw himself around the counter and grabbed you by the waist, pulling you close and lifting you in the air to spin you around, making you erupt in giggles.

“Alright, alright. I missed you too! Now put me down,” you laughed and he set you down clumsily before capturing your lips in a kiss.

“Gosh, it feels like I haven’t seen you in ages,” he chuckled breathily and you shook your head.

“It’s only been a week…but I understand how you feel,” you shared knowing looks as you ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back a bit.

“I can’t believe it…You were actually serious about this,” Robin interrupted the moment, making you both turn your heads to face her, bodies still flushed against each other, and you lifted an eyebrow at her perplexed expression. “You were telling the truth this whole time?!” she over-exaggerated with a slight smirk.

“What is she talking about?” you stammered in confusion as you looked at Steve and he rolled his eyes good-naturedly while you pulled away from his embrace.

“She didn’t believe me when I told her you’re my girlfriend,” he put a hand on his hip while the other he threw in frustration.

“I know that it’s hard to believe sometimes but Steve is more than what meets the eye,” you smiled brightly before extending your hand. “Y/N Byers. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Robin Buckley,” she accepted the handshake and smiled politely at you. “And for the record, I do believe you, dingus. I’m just messing with you,” she addressed him and he gave her the ‘Seriously?’ look, making you giggle.

“Look, I’m sorry to ask this of you but can you cover for me for a bit? Just for awhile, I promise,” asked Steve and the girl nodded.

“Go on, catch up with your girl,” she waved him off and he grinned before taking your hand and dragging you away.

“But I really wanted some ice cream,” you moaned and he halted in his step before rushing back behind the corner to scoop you some big balls of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream and dump them in a cone, sprinkling it with some rainbow sprinkles and shoving two wafer sticks in the creamy substance before dashing back to your side and handing it to you. You shook your head at his antics before pecking his cheek and grasping his hand once again, the two of you walking away from his workplace and opting to take a walk through the mall.

“How was your week? What happened in LA? Hope everything went good,” inquired Steve and you hummed as you licked your ice cream.

“Everything was good. I went to UCLA, sorted out some documents and now everything is cemented. I’m starting October first.”

“That’s…great. It’s great!” he grinned but it didn’t reach his eyes and your smile faltered as you pulled him to a stop.

“Steve, I’m…I’m going to visit as often as possible. A-and once I establish myself there you can come visit me too! Maybe you can find a job in LA and that way we’ll be together!” you gave him a hopeful expression and he smiled at you.

“We’ll think it through.”

Suddenly, the power went out, showering the whole mall in darkness and you and Steve looked around in confusion, his grip on your hand tightening.

Not only a minute had passed when the power was turned back on and the two of you relaxed. After everything you’ve been through the past two years, things related to lighting always drew you on edge – be it flickering lights or the power going out. It was a hassle to deal with.

“Let there be light,” joked Steve and you chuckled. “So, what are your plans for the summer? Are you thinking of finding a place to intern at? Or getting a job at the mall?” he asked as you resumed your walking and you shook your head.

“Oh, heavens no. I have worked my ass off since I can remember and I kept working almost until graduation last month. I’ve saved enough money and I’m probably going to find a job in LA when I start uni so I’m thinking of resting until then.”

“That’s a good choice actually. I don’t want you overworking yourself. You totally deserve those couple months of rest after all the working and studying you did,” he nodded in agreement as he gesticulated with his free hand and you smiled. It was very sweet of him to support your decisions as he did. “Besides, we’ll get to spend more time together,” he smiled at you and you pecked his cheek.

The two of you walked around the mall some more, catching up for the missed week before Steve told you he had to finish his shift. You told him to go do his thing while you decided to browse some stores to pass the time.

.

You were currently in Jean Nicole’s, holding a hanger with a white frilly lace dress.    

“Try it on. If anyone can pull off that Bianca Jagger Studio fifty-four look, it’s you,” came in Steve’s voice, making you turn around to find him leaning against the wall admiring you. You put back the hanger and shook your head.

“It’s not gonna be the same without the doves,” you pointed out and he chuckled, uncrossing his arms and taking a couple of steps towards you. You looked him up and down, noticing the tight jeans and shirt that fit him like a glove and complimented every curve and muscle of his body.

He was hot and he was yours.

You curled your finger around his belt hoop and pulled him towards you, making him instinctively wrap his arms around your waist and pull you in for a kiss, smiling against your lips as he moved his against yours expertly.

“Wanna take that home?” he murmured and you nodded.

“With pleasure,” you spoke quietly against his lips and he smirked, letting out a breathy chuckle. 

You were curled by Steve’s side when you woke up, lips stretching in a smile when you felt his arms around you. You placed a kiss on his biceps and he grunted quietly as he stirred, waking up.

“Morning, sunshine,” you sang out as you turned in his arms so you could face him properly and his eyes fluttered open. You chuckled at his disheveled appearance and ran your hand through his hair to fix it up a bit before placing a kiss on his eyes and nose.

“Stop teasing,” he grumbled before kissing you lazily on the lips and you let out a breathy chuckle as you watched him slowly sit up and rub his neck.

“Well, aren’t you handsome, looking disheveled like that,” you winked and he jumped on top of you, making you squeal as he began peppering your face and neck with kisses. “Stop! It tickles!”

“Never!”

You don’t know how long you just wrestled and tickled and kissed each other but Steve suddenly stopped and you looked at him in confusion, trying to calm your breathing.

“What’s wrong?” you asked and then you saw that his eyes were locked on the scar on your left arm, causing your smile to falter slightly. “It’s ugly,” you muttered after a moment of silence and he scrunched up his forehead, glancing at you.

“What? No way. You look badass,” he stated firmly and you raised your brows.

“Really?” you whispered and he nodded before leaning down and kissing the scar, tracing his lips from the beginning to the end of it before he got lower and lower until he reached the side of your abdomen and began to gently plant kisses on the scarred tissue there. You let out a sigh of contentment as your hand buried in his messy locks, fingers gently caressing his head and sliding down to his neck where you scratched him lightly with your nails, making him shiver and let out a muffled moan.

His hands roamed over your thighs and climbed up and over your abdomen before he also pulled himself up to capture your lips once again.

“You’re beautiful just the way you are. All of you,” he muttered as he looked at you deeply and you smiled.

“And so are you,” your knuckles traced his cheek and he took your hand in his, kissing every finger before nuzzling in your palm. “Alright, lover boy, I hate to break it to you but we gotta run. I have to go home and change clothes. Then I and the others will be going to surprise a certain someone because he’s coming back from summer camp,” you told the boy and his face lit up in realization.

“Henderson!” he exclaimed and you nodded with a smile. “Damn, I missed this boy.”

“I suppose you’ll see him after work…for which you have to prepare to go to…like, now,” you reminded him and his eyes widened as he shot out of bed and ran to his bathroom.

You and Steve parted ways after you freshened up and got dressed. He headed for the mall while you went home to change your clothes and pick up Will. You had your breakfast before you and your brother headed for the Henderson residence, sneaking inside with Claudia’s permission and secrecy. She said she’d skip to the store for some grocery shopping, leaving the whole house to you.

“Alright, I think now’s the time,” you whispered and El nodded before closing her eyes and suddenly, all toys came to life and began marching down the hallway with Dustin following after them fearfully until they came to a stop in the living room and he crouched to inspect them while you snuck behind him.

Everyone blew up the party horns except you who simply shouted “Welcome home!”

Dustin however got startled and he screeched to the high heavens while spraying the Farrah Fawcett spray in Lucas’ direction, getting him in the eyes. It was very comical how the two of them screamed while the rest of you scrunched up your faces in sympathy and tried to hold back your laughter.

“What the hell, guys! Are you trying to kill me!?” yelled the boy as he breathed heavily while lowering the spray.

“Are you!?” wheezed Lucas as he rubbed his eyes with his forearm and Max snorted before grabbing him by the elbow and dragging him towards the kitchen to help him wash his face.

“We just wanted to surprise you,” you chuckled as you went to hug the boy and he let out a long exhale, returning the hug.

“Come on! I have something to show you guys!” exclaimed the boy.

“You guys have fun. I gotta run, though,” you informed them and Dustin frowned.

“Already?”

“I promise I’ll come back later. I just have a couple of stops to make, is all,” you ruffled his hair and he sighed dejectedly but nodded nonetheless. “See you guys later,” you bid them goodbye as you hugged Will and El simultaneously, placing kisses on their heads, before heading out of the house and jumping in your car, driving off towards the pool.

Late November 1984 (a couple of days before your confrontation with Neil)

“Hey,” you called after Billy once you saw him walking towards his car after school. The boy halted in his step and turned to face you, not saying anything. “I wanted to…talk.”

“So they didn’t sew your big mouth at the hospital?” he took a final drag of his cigarette before sharply plucking it out of his mouth and throwing it on the ground. When you just stood there, looking everywhere but him, fidgeting, he let out a sigh. “I’m just joking. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“Right,” you chuckled awkwardly. “Of course. Um,” you cleared your throat as you approached the boy and handed him a small wrapped present. He looked at it then back at you and lifted a brow. “I never got to thank you. For bringing me to the hospital and all.”

“I’m pretty sure lover boy was gonna do it either way if I hadn’t knocked him out,” he snorted.

“Yeah, well, that’s true. I should be angry that you beat him up. Frankly, I still am a bit salty about it but I think it’s best if we let bygones be bygones,” you smiled as you handed him the gift and he hesitantly took it off your hand, tearing the paper more gently than you thought he was capable of.

“Is this,” he drawled as his eyes widened and you nodded, smile growing.

“Deep Purple’s newest album, Perfect Strangers, yes,” you responded. “I know how much you love rock, I mean the whole school knows with how you’re always blasting it, so...”

“Thank you.”

That was the first time when you ever saw Billy Hargrove smile genuinely with eyes full of gratitude. It was the first time you’ve seen him show a kind side of himself. You didn’t count the moment of vulnerability during that summer party because he was drunk and delirious back then. Now he was sober and he showed some normalcy. So he did have a good side and it made you wonder what exactly did he go through that made him choose to act the way he did?

And that was the moment when you decided to stop rolling your eyes at him or feeling annoyed every time you saw him and instead try to worm your way into his heart by being kinder to him, secretly hoping that one day he’d start showing more of that good side. 

You pushed open the door and set foot back outside, mindful not to step in any puddles or slip. You saw the boy at his chair, overlooking the pool and you lifted an arm, waving at him. That picked his attention and he straightened up in his seat before climbing down and strolling towards you in that typical Billy walk.

“Fancy seeing you here, Byers,” he greeted you and you smiled.

“I don’t want to bother you while you’re working so I just came by to set a meeting for tomorrow instead.”

“Meeting? Tomorrow? What for?” he arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Well, Max’s birthday is coming soon so I intend on doing some shopping. And you’re coming with me,” you informed him and he huffed.

“Is that a threat?”

“If you consider spending time shopping with a friend for your sister’s birthday a threatening experience, then sure,” you quipped and he rolled his eyes.

“You’re not my friend,” he drawled. “And she’s not my sister.”

“Oh, c’mon. Just break that pride of yours a tad bit more, will ya? Do something nice for Max. She deserves it,” you gave him a look and he let out a tormented exhale.

“Alright, fine,” he agreed after a while. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow and we’ll go to the mall. Happy?” he grumbled and you grinned.

“Very much so!”

“Aight, now get outta my sight,” he waved his hand dismissively and you waved at him before whirling and leaving.

What you learned about Billy after getting the chance to hang out with him on a couple of occasions, and after discovering the way his father treated him, was that he was a grumpy person who was angry at life, angry at the world, and everything happening in his life was a pure torment, corroding him on the inside. You learned that this was the reason why he acted like a jerk most of the time and why he bullied some people – because he wanted everyone else to feel as bad as he did, so he could not be alone in this torment. It was a very toxic coping mechanism but there were people who weren’t as lucky as you and your brothers were and found bad ways to cope with trauma, falling victim to toxic behaviors and patterns. Such kind of people needed help – to be shown kindness, love, and that things could be done otherwise, that there are other coping mechanisms. Billy was one of these people. And you knew that there was goodness deep down, buried under this tough act he was pulling in order to protect himself from being hurt over and over and all those months you never stopped digging for it, trying to bring it to the surface.

The change wasn’t that big, particularly considering that it’s been only a couple of months, and you kept reminding yourself that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. But what mattered was that he did change, even if it was by a bit, and you considered it progress.

A step forward.

You could only hope that he would keep on changing and would become the good person you knew he had the capability of being. Not only for his own sake but for Max’s sake because she deserved a good older brother who cared for her.

So you were beyond happy that he agreed to accompany you and pick a gift for her. You were sure that this would definitely contribute to their strengthening bond as siblings.

One good thing you picked on was that he didn’t correct you as often as he used to. Months ago, when you or someone else would call Max his sister, he would immediately cut them off and correct them, rejecting her as sister and saying she was only a ‘step-sister’. But he rarely did that nowadays which gave you hope that he was beginning to accept Max as a sister more and more.

You were excited and hopeful for the change in dynamics and what was to come.

You were excited for this summer.

“Aw, honey, you look amazing,” complimented Joyce as she stopped in her tracks to give you a look and you smiled, thanking her.

You were currently wearing a creamy-colored, frilly sun dress with flowy off-shoulder sleeves that reached your elbows. You had opted for the “elvish” hairstyle as Will called it – braiding front locks into small braids and pinning them on the back of your head while leaving some strands to hang over your ears. You didn’t put much makeup besides some lip gloss and blush because the temperatures were so high you felt like your face would melt within the first couple minutes of stepping outside.

“Are you going on a date with Steve?” she asked knowingly as she adjusted the laundry basket in her hands and you nodded.

“Yes, we’re going out.”

“What plans do you guys have? Or is it a secret?”

“We’re actually planning on going to the Hideaway because Eddie’s band will be playing there tonight and we want to support him,” you informed her with a smile and she returned it.

“It’s lovely how the two of them are friends now, considering they couldn’t stand each other before.”

“Well, sometimes they still get irritated when they’re in the same company but there’s been significant progress for the past two years,” you chuckled as you put down the bottle of perfume you had sprayed yourself with when the phone rang, startling you and Joyce. “I’ll take it,” you told her as you marched to the device and answered it while she returned to her room to leave the dry laundry.

“Hello?”

“Y/N?”

“Billy!?” you gasped, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion as to why he was calling you. “Is everything ok?”

“I…I need to see you…now,” he said flatly and you blinked astounded.

“Did something bad happen?”

“Can you meet me at the graveyard?”

“The graveyard? Now? I mean…I have a date so whatever it is you want…help with? Will have to be fast, ok?” you asked but the only thing you heard was a hum before the line went dead, leaving you with more questions than answers.

“Everything ok?” inquired Joyce as she returned to the living room and you shrugged.

“I actually don’t know. Um, a friend called and…It seemed like an emergency. I do have some more time before the date so I’ll go check what’s going on.”

“Ok, honey, be careful and have a great evening,” she gave you a peck on the cheek and you ran out of the house and into your car.

Not long after, you were parking by the cemetery and getting out. It was dark and scary and for some reason the air around here felt a bit more chilly, causing a shiver to run down your spine as you slowly walked further into the graveyard, looking for your friend.

“Billy?” you called out when you saw a familiar figure and he turned to face you, chest heaving, hair disheveled, face sweaty and bloody. He looked like death. “What happened!?” you exclaimed as you sprinted to him and looked him over with wide eyes, hands going to grasp his upper arms.

“I don’t know,” he let out breathlessly. “I-I feel like I’m losing my shit, Byers,” he smiled sardonically before it faltered back to a frown and he bit his lip as his eyes darted elsewhere.

“Listen…whatever it is, I will help you, ok? But we have to go to the hospital, Billy, those injuries are just…What happened?”

“I don’t know what happened!” he snapped and you flinched. “I can’t explain it. I don’t,” he rubbed his face in frustration. “I don’t even know why the fuck I called you! There’s-there’s something inside me that-“ he choked on whatever words he wanted to spill out and let out a pained grunt as his hands flew to grasp his head. 

“Billy, you’re scaring me. Tell me what’s wrong,” he shook his head as he bent over in pain and let out ragged breaths and pained groans through clenched teeth and shut eyes. Your hand went to grab his arm again while the other rubbed his back soothingly as you slightly bent to try and get a better look. “Billy, talk to me!”

His body leaned and slumped against yours, your hands instantly flying to catch him. He shook and sobbed against you and you just hugged him closely, his head buried in your collarbone.

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed out and tears gathered in your eyes at seeing such a strong, unwavering boy like Billy completely break in your arms.

“It’s ok,” you breathed out. “It’s ok, I got you. It’s ok,” you whispered as you rubbed his back and held him before he slightly pulled away.

But there was something strange in his look this time. His pupils were dilated and he was looking at you void of emotion. You felt like someone threw cold water on you as you watched him take a step backward and lift his arm and before you could react, he backhanded you so hard that you stumbled and fell on the ground, knees and arms grazing painfully on the stone. You groaned as you turned to look at him.

“What is wrong with you!?” you yelled but your voice died out when you saw him take a step towards you, making you crawl away and use a gravestone as support to help you stand up. You didn’t hesitate to sprint away and your heart beat rapidly when you heard his thumping footsteps right behind you.

You ran for your car, wanting nothing more than to get in and drive away. But just when you were a couple of steps away from the vehicle, your chance at running away was crushed like an ant by a boot when you saw Billy standing there, blocking your path.

You almost stumbled and tripped in your haste to stop yourself from running right into his arms and quickly changed directions, running back inside the cemetery. You threw yourself on the ground behind a gravestone and tried to calm your ragged breathing as you heard the shuffling of footsteps come closer and closer.

“You can’t hide from me, Y/N…I see you,” his uncharacteristically monotonous voice drawled uncomfortably close and you dashed from your hiding place once again. 

And then you felt him grab your hair and pull, bringing you to a sudden stop and making you gasp in pain as you fell back against his chest. His one arm encircled your body to keep you in place while the other wrapped around your neck tightly, immediately cutting off your air supply. You struggled against him and tried to free your arms and kick with your legs but he was too strong.

You managed to headbut him and he let out a groan, his grip loosening. That allowed you to slither under his arms and fall to the ground. Just when you lifted part of your body up, in hopes of running away again, he grabbed you by the leg and pulled, bringing you back down and at his feet.

The last thing you felt was a harsh blow to your head and then everything went black.

[punchdrunkdoc]

Part 2, Chapter 6

Summary: After the events of S3, Matt Murdock is trying to once again balance life as a lawyer and a vigilante. But he’s been scarred by loss and betrayal - will a mysterious new neighbour help him heal? Or will her secrets drag him back into the darkness?

Notes: This is a slow burn romance with an original female character, told in 3 parts. There is mystery, intrigue, action/violence and angst - all the good stuff!

Also available on AO3 and Wattpad

Masterlist

Reference pics - *UPDATED*

————–

PART 2

Chapter 6

Calina rubbed the petal between her fingers as she waited for the phone call to go through. The flower Matt had given her had wilted and died after a few days of sitting in a glass of water on her bedside table. All that remained was the single blood red petal she held in her hand.

Matt couldn’t have known that the colour of the flower exactly matched his Daredevil suit - it was purely a coincidence. But during her more fanciful moments, she thought it was more fate than random chance.

The first and only flower she’d ever received was like being gifted a piece of the man himself.

And with his offering and his apology, the wall that he’d erected between them had crumbled. They were closer now than ever before. Falling asleep next to him felt natural. Waking up in his arms, even more so. And Matt no longer seemed embarrassed to find himself wrapped around her in the morning. In fact, touching her seemed second nature to him now; he was always brushing his hand down her arm or grazing her waist when he walked passed her in the apartment…

It felt like they’d entered some new phase of their strange relationship. She should have been excited. She should have been over the moon.

Instead she was feeling anxious and unsettled again.

She hoped the Widows would have news that would ease those feelings.

“Yes? What is it, Calina?” Yelena finally answered after the phone had run a dozen times. She sounded annoyed.

“I’m so sorry for disturbing you,” Calina replied. She couldn’t hide the snark in her voice. “I was calling for an update, seeing as you guys have been radio silent for the last couple of weeks.” 

Yelena’s answer was just as snarky. “Well, I’m sorry that we’ve been too busy trying to find info on the man who drugged you to text you all hours of the day.”

“Well has all your busy-ness paid off? Have you found out who he was? Are there more like him out there?”

“Sort of. Yes. And we don’t know.”

Calina mentally matched the brusque answers to her questions. Then sat up straight, the petal falling forgotten to the floor. “Really? You know who he was?”

“Nicolai Aminev. A low level grunt from the research division of the Red Room.”

“Low level?”

“Yeah. Best we figure, he stole some tech during the chaos of the Red Room fall, managed to survive, and tried to make some cash out of selling a Widow.”

“If that’s the case, then there shouldn’t be anyone else after me. If he wasn’t part of some bigger operation-”

“We don’t know that for sure yet. We have a lead on some of his associates that we’re following up on. In fact, we were prepping for a recon mission when you called.”

Calina winced at the not-so-subtle rebuke. “I’m sorry. I know you guys are trying. I’m just feeling…trapped here. And useless.”

“It was your choice to stay.”

“I know. And I don’t regret it. I’m just going a little stir-crazy, Yelena. I can’t stay cooped up in this apartment much longer.” She rose from her chair and stared out of the windows, subconsciously counting down until the moment the billboard outside changed display.  She knew the timings and the pattern down to the second. She knew every crack and mark in every window pane. She knew every dent and scratch in the floorboards and every frayed thread in the rug.

She never thought she’d get sick of being in Matt’s apartment, but she was fast approaching that point.

“I hate that they did this to me, again,” she continued, her voice rising with anger as she paced. “I hate that they took away my choices - again. I’m trapped again because of those…those fucking bastards, and I hate it!”

The rage and the frustration and the helplessness that had been simmering inside her for weeks suddenly boiled over, until it had nowhere to go but out. She lashed out and punched the wall between the arched windows. The hard brick scraped her skin, causing it to split.

A warm, strong hand suddenly covered hers. “Don’t do that,” Matt whispered, stroking the damaged skin of her knuckles.

She gazed up at him, surprised. She hadn’t even noticed he’d come home from work.

How much had he heard?

He took the phone from her other hand and put it to his ear. “Yelena? It’s Matt. I’ve got this.”

She could hear Yelena’s tinny reply. “I warned you this would happen.”

“I know. I’ll deal with it.”

He hung up. “Go get changed,” he said to Calina.

“What?”

“Put on some workout clothes. We’re going to the gym.”

 ———

 “She’s going to get angry. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. But at some point, she’s going to snap out of her numbness and her fear and she’s going to get really, really angry. And you need to be prepared for that. You need to give her an outlet.”

Matt remembered Yelena’s words vividly. She’d taken him aside as the three Widows were leaving that Friday night weeks ago and issued her warning.

And Matt had been waiting ever since for Calina to snap.

It looked like tonight was the night.

“Are we allowed to be here?” Calina asked, as he ushered her into Fogwell’s with a hand on her back. She sounded curious, but there was still a tension in her voice. The muscles in her back were taut, as if she was wound tight.

“It’s been abandoned for months,” Matt explained. “I come here all the time. It’s fine.”

He dumped his bag on the floor and shrugged out of his jacket and sweatshirt, leaving him in a sleeveless T-shirt. He sat on the bench beside the ring and started wrapping his hands as Calina wandered around the disused gym.

She flipped back the hood she’d worn to disguise herself as they’d left his apartment. The move sent a wave of her scent towards him, clearing the musty smell of the gym from his senses. The dust on the floor swirled about her feet as she inspected the old equipment, and he heard a punching bag swing as she gave it a light tap. The wooden stand by the lockers creaked as she picked up one of the dumbbells resting on it.

“‘No Pain, No Gain’,” she murmured, reciting the mantra painted on the wall. “We have a similar saying in Russia: ‘Without effort, you won’t even pull a fish out of a pond.'”

Matt laughed. “Not quite as catchy.”

That would have made her smile a few days ago. But now there was no response. She just moved on to the Wing Chun dummy in the corner. Before the gym had closed down they’d started hosting Kung Fu classes to try and generate more income. The dummy was a remnant of that failed plan.

He heard a muffled whack as Calina hit one of the wooden slats. Then another. And another, the pace increasing until she was executing a fast series of blocks and strikes against the dummy in a practiced routine.

Matt winced as the force of her hits increased. He could hear her breathing heavily beneath the rhythmic sound of her attack.

“Hey.” He came up behind her and pulled her away from the dummy by her shoulders. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

She shrugged out of his hold and viciously kicked the wooden statue. “No pain, no gain, right?” she sneered.

“I didn’t bring you here to hurt yourself-”

“So why did you?”

“Yelena said you’d need an outlet. This is the one I use.” He handed her some wrap for her hands and a pair of gloves. “I thought it might help.”

“I’m not much of a boxer.”

He remembered the way she’d fought against him before, all balletic grace and lithe deflection. “No. But the gloves and the bag will be less painful than the dummy. Just try it.”

While she prepped her hands, Matt tugged on his own gloves and started hitting one of the bags. By the time he’d slipped into his own rhythmic routine, Calina was next to him, jabbing forcefully at the other bag. 

Her form was good. She may not favour the style during a fight, but she was obviously well trained in it. She was light on her feet and swung from the hips, and her gloved hands connected with the swinging bag with satisfying slaps.

Matt tried to concentrate on his own bag - wanting to give Calina the space to process her anger on her own - but after a while it became hard to shut out the signs of her distress. The more she punched, the more erratic and harsh her breathing became. The faster her heart rate. He could taste the salt from her angry tears and her grunts of effort transformed into cries of rage as she pummelled and kicked at the leather target in front of her.

He wanted to pull her away from the bag and into his arms where he could hold her close. But she needed to work through this. She needed to let her anger out. So he continued with his own workout and waited for the moment she exhausted herself.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait too long. After one last vicious roundhouse kick, Calina staggered back from the bag and braced herself on her knees, panting. When she straightened up, he finally got the chance to wrap his arms around her. He held her firmly from behind and rested his head against the side of hers.

Her breathing started to slow and sync to his, just like when they would meditate together. Her heart rate levelled out too, and eventually she relaxed back against him.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

She nodded.

“Do you feel better?”

Another nod. “Yes, thank you.” Her voice was hoarse from her cries.

He reluctantly broke the embrace. “I’ll grab you a drink.”

He ripped off his gloves and dug through his gym bag for the water bottles. When he returned to Calina she was studying something on the wall.

And he knew exactly what it was.

“Here,” he said passing her a drink.

“Thanks.” He heard her twist off the cap and gulp down the cool liquid. Then she started played with the half-empty bottle, rolling it around between her palms, making the plastic crinkle. He knew her well enough now to recognise the meaning behind her uncharacteristic fidgeting - she was debating whether to say something.

“You can ask,” he said, gesturing to the poster he knew was on the wall in front of her.

“‘Carl Crusher Creel vs Battlin’ Jack Murdock’,” she read. “That’s your Dad? You said he was a boxer.”

“Yeah. This was his local gym. I practically grew up here. I used to sit on that bench over there and do my homework while he sparred.”

She took a seat on the bench he mentioned and he joined her. His eyes swept around the room, as if he could see its contents. And in a way he could. This vantage point was so familiar to him - it was one of the clearest memories he had from when he still had his sight. He could easily overlay the details he remembered onto the impression his senses gave him of the room - the black shine of the floor; the silver duct tape holding the punching bags together; the beat up looking grey lockers and the rich golden yellow light that would flood the room at dusk.

“Do you want to tell me about him?” Calina asked. “About your Dad?”

Matt sighed and leaned back against the wall behind him. “There’s not much to tell. He died when I was nine.”

“I’m sorry.”

Matt shrugged. “It was just the two of us growing up, and I idolised him - so much. I knew he wasn’t invincible, not like some kids see their dads. I had to stitch him up after enough fights to know that he bled and bruised just like a normal person.” Matt let out a hollow laugh at the memory. “Man, could he take a beating. He could get hit all day long and never got knocked out. That’s how he won his fights - outlasting the other guy. Never giving in.”

Matt could hear his Dad’s voice, clear as day in his head. ‘It ain’t how you hit the floor, Matty. Its how you get up.’

He continued speaking, his voice wistful now. “I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. Even though he hated that idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“He didn’t want me to be a fighter. He wanted me to get an education and get out of Hell’s Kitchen. He’d be proud of me for being a lawyer. I’m not so sure he’d be proud about the Daredevil thing.”

“But you’re helping people.”

There was that acceptance again, Matt thought, remembering his internal battle the other night during the storm.

But now he was worried that she was a little too accepting. That she’d romanticised what he did and turned it into something more noble than what it was.  She’d never seen what he did in the suit, after all. She’d never seen him when he truly became the Devil

“I don’t think he’d see it that way,” Matt tried to explain. “We both have this…thing inside us. This rage and this darkness that’s always trying to claw itself out. ‘Beware those Murdock Boys. They got the Devil in ‘em.’ That’s what my Gran used to say. She saw it in my Grandfather. And in my Dad. During his fights…he would occasionally snap. His eyes would go dark and he’d just start wailing on the other guy. I think Dad would worry that I’m just using the suit as an excuse to let that rage out.”

“Is that what you believe?”

Matt leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs. He tugged at the fabric wrapping his hands as he debated how honest he should be. “Sometimes. Sometimes I worry that I’m kidding myself that I do this for any other reason than to hurt people.”

“You’re wrong.”

He sighed. “Calina, you can’t say that. You haven’t seen me out there. I-”

“Yes, I have.”

Matt sat up straight and faced her. “What?”

She bit her lip and looked away.

“Calina?” He prompted, starting to get worried. When had she seen him? What had she seen?

“When I first found out about, um, you being Daredevil. I followed you. At night.”

“You followed me?”

“Yes. I was curious. I was trying to reconcile this person that I knew from this tabloid news story character.”

“How often did you follow me?”

“Just a few nights. Four at the most.”

“Jesus.” Matt sprang up from the bench and started pacing. He didn’t know what he most angry about. That she’d kept it a secret from him? That she’d seen what he was like as Daredevil, or that he’d been followed that many times without suspecting a thing.

No, that wasn’t right. He had suspected something. He remembered back to that time period, and the vague sensation he’d had of being watched. But it had gone away after that incident by the docks.

That incident…

“It was you.”

“What?”

“That night, with those kidnappers. It was you, wasn’t it?” She’d been the one who'd taken out the thugs while he was lying incapacitated on the floor.

She tipped her chin up. “Yes.”

Matt raked his hands through his hair as he thought back to that night. And to the next morning, when Calina had come to his door.

She’d been checking up on him. She’d known he’d gotten beaten up, so she’d come to check on him. He’d let her back into his life that morning. Everything that had brought them closer together since had started that day.

And it was all based on a lie.

He’d never suspected that she’d had an ulterior motive that morning. He’d just accepted the care and attention she’d given him while he’d been sick. 

God, every time he was reminded of how good a liar she was it hit him like a suckerpunch.

He forced down the betrayal that he felt. They’d both resolved to start fresh and discard the lies that had tainted beginning of their relationship. By introducing themselves to each other after their fight, they’d wiped the slate clean. Then they’d sealed that unspoken deal with a handshake.

He needed to let it go.

So he focussed on something else that he’d been wondering about from that night by the docks. “What did you use? To take those guys down. I remember hearing something odd, like an electronic device…”

“It’s called a Widow’s Bite. It’s an electroshock weapon. Standard kit on a Widow’s suit.”

“Wait, you were suited up? As a Black Widow? Jesus, Calina! Did it ever occur to you that that’s how you were found?”

The stubborn tilt of her chin edged up a notch. “Of course it did. But I don’t regret it. You needed my help. And that little girl needed you. Just like the other people you saved that week. When I followed you, I didn’t see someone revelling in violence and enjoying the pain he was inflicting. I saw someone helping his community. You showed mercy towards the people you stopped, Matt. Not needless cruelty.”

He took a seat beside her again and shook his head. “There’s still something dark inside of me. You need to understand that-”

“We all have that, Matt. Parts of ourselves that we’re not proud of. Dark aspects of our soul.”

It was her turn to sound self-loathing. He rested his hand on top of hers on the bench between them. “Hey. Whatever darkness you think resides in your soul was put there by the people who trained you and controlled you.”

She laughed bitterly. “I’m not the innocent victim you think I am, Matt. I’ve made choices - since I was free of the Red Room - that I’m not proud of.”

“But those choices were informed by the life that they forced you to live. By the person they forced you to become. Could you still say you’d have acted the same if you were allowed to be raised by your family, in a loving home, far away from the Red Room?”

She turned her hand over to grasp his, as if it was her turn to offer comfort. “The same could be said for you, Matt. If you hadn’t had your accident, and lost your Dad, would you still feel the same about the man you are today? We’re all at the mercy of chance. We’re all shaped by our experiences.”

He shook his head. “But that’s what I was saying before, about me, and my Dad. This is nature, not nurture There’s something inside us-”

“No. I don’t believe that. You make it sound like there’s something fundamentally wrong with you-”

He gave a hollow laugh. “Calina I dress up in a devil suit to go beat up criminals at night. That’s hardly the picture of a normal, well-adjusted human being.”

‘“It’s no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society’,” she quoted.

“What?”

“I moved on to philosophy books this week, and came across that quote from Krishnamurti, an Indian philosopher,” she explained. “I think it means that most people go about their lives not seeing the sickness and corruption in this world, or not caring about it if it doesn’t directly affect them. But people like you - who’ve experienced it, and gained empathy from it - they don’t conform. They fight. They fight to make the world a better place. That’s how I see you, Matt. Not as some rage-filled monster.”

Matt sat in silence for a few moments, humbled by Calina’s opinion of him. He tried to absorb the words, to make them his truth…but he was fighting against thirty-odd years of dogma. Thirty-odd years of believing there was something wrong with him.

It would take more than a few words…but he was still grateful. “Thank you.”

She squeezed his hand in response.

“And thank you, for before,” he continued. “That night with those kidnappers. If you hadn’t been there…you probably saved my life.”

“You’re welcome,” she said. “Thank you for saving mine the night with the serum.”

“I didn’t save your life. All I did was hurt you.” He could still hear the crack of her knee impacting the floor. He could still hear the pop of her elbow as it was wrenched out of his socket. He could still feel the heat rising from the bruises littering her skin...

It didn’t feel very heroic.

“You stopped me from having to live that life again, Matt. I consider us more than even.” She stretched her arm out in front of her. “And look, good as new.”

He took hold of her arm and moved it around, feeling the joint as it flexed, wanting to assure himself that she was telling the truth.

And she was. There was no evidence of any lingering damage.

He ran his thumb down the delicate skin of her inner arm, and reluctantly let go when she started talking again. “I think that’s why I’ve been feeling so antsy lately,” she said. “And why it all came to a head tonight. I feel ready to go back to my life, but I’m still at the mercy of whoever’s out there.”

“Did Yelena have any leads on that?” he asked.

Calina explained about the identity of the man who drugged her. “But Yelena’s being cautious - she’s worried there’s more to it than a low-level lackey trying to make some money.”

“What do you think?”

“I think what I’ve always thought - that there’s no danger here. Not anymore.”

“Does that mean…are you going to move back into your place?”

There was a beat of silence. Then another. And he felt like every muscle in his body went tight as he waited for her answer. “Calina?”

“Is that what you want?” she finally said, turning his question back on him.

“No,” he replied. 

And it was the truth. He knew she’d have to leave eventually. He just hadn’t let himself think about what that would feel like - watching her walk out of his door. And he didn’t want to think about it now.

He wasn’t…ready.

“You can stay as long as you need, you know that,” he finally said.

“Then I’ll stay a little longer. I, um, think Yelena would feel more comfortable that way.”

Matt smiled, recognising it as an excuse.

She wanted to stay.

With him.

“Then stay.”

————–

Chapter 7

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[imminent-danger-came]

Hello mutual-in-law, since you're the parallel person I figured I'd share this with you too but would you say, S3 EP 10 "We will figure this out, together." - MK and S4 Special "Wherever there's scheming, we can handle it." - Wukong, are parallels? + that same instance of "I won't abandon you" of MK @/Mei S3 and Wukong @/MK in S5.

Hello mutual-in-law!

I'd say, for sure, it's a parallel. I'd even go a step further and say it's a consistent theme throughout the show!

You of course have "We'll figure this out together" from 3x10, which in itself is a parallel to RoTSQ where the gang/Mei tells MK the same thing. I'm going to list some others in bullet point format, and make a full parallels post later lol:

1x10 ("What? No. I didn't mean you guys, too!" "You thought you were going without us?" "MK we get it. You're the Monkie Kid, ha. It's your job to go fight the bad guys." "But we're your team, little man! It's our job to get you there!" "No matter what.")

RoTSQ ("I'm sorry. I just...don't know what to do." "Kid, no one ever does! Not really." "But we're going to figure this out." "Together.")

2x01 ("And you know, 'The next step of your journey you must do alone.'" "Alone?" & "Fine, then just leave! At least my friends will never abandon me!" & "And even though I was all alone and I had been completely abandoned by everyone, I used my brain and saved the whole city!) (Bonus Smartie Kid/Plan Man arc)

2x04 ("But you are always there when I need you so it's time for me to return the favor!")

2x07 ("Together, there was nothing that could stop the two of them either in the celestial realms or on Earth." & "But I'm not ready for this. I can't face the Lady Bone Demon alone.")

2x10 ("What could have been so important that you'd leave MK alone to face that- that thing? You're supposed to be his mentor!" & "We can do this. We're stronger together.")

3x06 ("We've pulled off all sorts of crazy stuff before. There ain't nothing we can't do if we do it as a team!)

3x08 ("Surely even you can see that unless we stand together-" "Together? Remind me again exactly what it is you contribute to the team?" & "Deep in my heart, I know that my place is alongside my friends. One day, I will become someone they can depend on, the way that I can always depend on them! As long as we stand together, there will always be hope!")

3x10 ("No! Mei is my best friend. I'd never abandon her when she needs me!" & "To feel like the fate of the world is in your hands and you have no idea what to do. But you always have my back and help me through it. We will figure this out. Together!" & "I'm gonna do what I should've done originally. Stop the Lady Bone Demon. Alone.)

3x12 ("As long as we're still standing, there's always hope!")(Specific parallel to 3x08)

3x13 ("From the moment you picked up the Monkey King's staff, their stories became our stories. It's our responsibility to write the final chapter, no matter the outcome. If we do this, we do it together. That's Monkie Kid 101!) (This is also a parallel to 2x01 where MK says "Come on MK! Self-confidence! That's Monkey King 101")

3x14 ("You said it, Mo! The world may be full of darkness, but to let the light shine, all we need to do is stand together!" & )

4x02 ("You don't know. We'd risk it for sure. I won't abandon them when they need us.")

4x06 ("You're always there for us when we need you. The least we can do is be there for you when you need us.")

4x09 ("Azure Lion, The Golden Winged Peng, and Yellowtusk the Wise. Alone, they can best a thousand-man army, together, they are nigh unstoppable.")

4x12 ("Every one of you is already a hero! Together, you can do this We can do this!")

4x14 ("I just wanted to make the world a better place..." "You still can. You're the only one who can!" & "But! That can be a tomorrow problem. Whatever they're scheming, we can handle it.")

I've only seen the first 2 eps of s5, so I'll take your word for it!

It's like a mix of doing it together, doing it alone, doing it when your friends need you, etc.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, June 29

BUFFY: My sister's about to go to the same high school that tried to kill me for three years. I can't change districts, I can't afford private school, and I can't begin to prepare for what could possibly come out of there. So, peachy with a side of keen, that would be me.

~~BtVS 7x01 “Lessons”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

we don't have to dance (Angel/Cordelia, G) by eagle_eyes

[Chaptered Fiction]

Recompense, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Faith, M) by Moonkid10

In the Dark of the Night, Chapter 13/? (Buffy/Spike, M) by norik23

Highlands and Tropical Islands, Chapter 11/? (Buffy/Faith, M) by QuillBard

In the Company of Witches and Slayers:, Chapters 83-84/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

The Yellowstone: A Safe Harbor, Chapter 7/? (Ensemble, Yellowstone xover, G) by Buffyworldbuilder

Omission, Chapter 12/? (Spike/Riley, Buffy/Riley, E) by toutes_les_routes

I hate the way, Chapter 30/? (Buffy/Giles, E) by DancingAngel0013

[French Language] Do as Romans do, Chapter 35 (Dawn/Spike, T) by OldGirl-NoraArlani

A Twist Of Fate, Chapter 65 COMPLETE! (Xander/Cordelia, M) by Jennifer Schumacher

Lover's Labyrinth, Chapter 13 (Xander, Buffy, Willow, M) by Spooksdarkhero

Bounties and Bullets, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Faith, M) by alwynjaegar

Lie to Me, Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by In Mortal

The Watcher, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by In Mortal

Exquisite Chaos: Part 2, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Kanita, fortes775, Kanita, SzmattyCat, simmony, MillennialCryBaby, Maxine Eden

School of Hard Knocks, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

Love Lives Here, Chapter 81 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Lie to Me, Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by In Mortal

The Watcher, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by In Mortal

Love Lives Here, Chapter 81 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Bruises, Chapter 29 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by hulettwyo

Sand 2: Realizations (Buffy/Spike, T) by myrabeth

[Images, Audio & Video]

Wallpaper: Prophecy Girl (Buffy, The Master, worksafe) by revello-drive-1630

Gifset: [Buffy/Spike with poem on screen: Twilight by Ruby Archer] (slightly NSFW) by ladyverdance

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: That Rat Shop Hotel (S4E12) by It Stakes Two

[Fandom Discussions]

when people who dislike angel claim that angel likes to pretend he and angelus are totally different people by moistvonlipwig

buffy the vampire slayer au where giles has a thick new york accent by joe-spookyy

what would happen if late S3 Faith met vamp!Willow? by juanabaloo

faith and willow are kind of foils in a way by lesbianmarrow

that line in btvs 3x15 “consequences” where angel makes a joke about safewords by lesbianmarrow

i’m so fascinated by this scene in btvs 3x15 “consequences”, when buffy comes to confess to willow how she’s been hiding that faith accidentally killed a man by lesbianmarrow

I know why they had the actor that plays Giles leave for almost of season 6 but I feel like they could have done a better job story wise by there-are-many-ways-to-smile

BtVS - What’s in a name? by lierdumoa

when they had riley cheat on buffy because of his chauvinist hang-ups and then basically said oh it’s actually buffy’s fault by cuntylestat

i’m genuinely so surprised that in all of btvs there’s never a slayer that got vamped by yellowjckets

I love the things that feel sorta incoherent between Buffy and Angel having their own shows by badwolfwho1

ok but we seriously needed more episodes about versions of the main characters as vampires by hauntedorpheum

willow looking so much more turned on when she’s being threatened by her evil dominatrix vampire self by lesbianmarrow

canon spuffy reads so much like fanfiction it’s actually kind of crazy by silvermars

Dana’s attitude towards Slaying vs Buffy’s continued by multiple posters

What if...a vampire tried to turn Oz? by Guilty-Tie164

Why wasn't another slayer called after Buffy died (for the second time)? by rosehathaway13

If Buffy wasn't set in Sunnydale, what real town in California could you see the show set in? by jdpm1991

Watching Angel in Parallel w/ Buffy? by Apprehensive-Ice9481

What are your thoughts about Connor and Cordelia in Season 4? by OptionNo1672

The First as Willow by Amazing-Intention292

The first evil is a baby compared to Angelus. by FoxIndependent4310

The trio, underrated villains. by FoxIndependent4310

How do you think Kendra felt during the hypnosis? by hypngirl

Buffybot is all of us by b04carpediem

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

CONVENTION: James Marsters to Attend Huntington Comic & Toy Con 10-11 August 2024 | ConHuntington by James Marsters News

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[esonetwork]

The Earth Station DCU Episode 314 – Stargirl Series Finale

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/the-earth-station-dcu-episode-314-stargirl-series-finale/

The Earth Station DCU Episode 314 – Stargirl Series Finale

This Week on Earth Station DCU! Drew Leiter and Cletus Jacobs discuss the Stargirl Series Finale. Christopher and Ice go into the desert trying to escape Batman in The Human Target #9. Robin Tim Drake is attacked by clay versions of the robins in Tim Drake: Robin #3. While Lex Luthor is manipulating Metallo to do his bidding, Superman is confronted by the New Gods concerning the Fire of Olgrun in Action Comics #1049. After nearly drowning last episode saving the Orgham family, Batman investigates the death of Ras Al Ghul’s old body guard, Ubu in Detective Comics #1066. In a desperate attempt to control the Dark Army, Damien forms a team to travel into the Multiverse in Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1. All this plus, DC News, DC TV, Shout Outs, and much, much more!

————————

Table of Contents

0:00:00 Show Open

0:01:06 DC News

0:13:30 The Human Target #9

0:19:31 Batman: Fortress #7

0:23:36 Tim Drake: Robin #3

0:28:27 Action Comics #1049

0:35:38 Detective Comics #1066

0:41:30 Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1

0:48:12 Titans S4 Ep4 – Super Super Mart

0:53:00 Stargirl S3 Ep13 – Frenemies – Chapter Thirteen: The Reckoning

1:04:02 Show Close

Links

The Human Target #9

Batman: Fortress #7

Tim Drake: Robin #3

Action Comics #1049

Detective Comics #1066

Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1

Batman (1940-2011) #232 (Drew’s Read More Comics Pick)

Batman (1940-2011) #655 (Cletus’s Read More Comics Pick)

Earth Station One Tales of the Station

Earth Station One Tales of the Station Vol. 2

The Chameleon Chronicles: Colors of Fate

The Chameleon Chronicles: Sisters of the Thorn

If you would like to leave feedback, comment on the show, or would like us to give you a shout out, please call the ESDCU feedback line at (317) 564-9133 (remember long distance charges may apply) or feel free to email us @ earthstationdcu@gmail.com

[corvidcrafts273]

For the GO ask game: 4. 5, 8, 15, 22, 24 ❤️🩵

Ohh longfics, time to go search my bookmarks!!(argh why i cant choose which is my absolute favourite)(i hope you dont mind a fic dump with why i like them)

4. Oneshots:

Navigating by touch slow progression of being affectionate post apocalypse

The terribe fate of the principality aziraphale is hilarious

Like it never happened jane austen themed, the entire collection is lovely and cute

Soon you'll get better bittersweet, emphasis on sweet

This is a fix it of s02e05

A guide to fame for the enterprising demon this is about crowley becoming famous

truth or dare can skip around 4th paragraph from last

flowers for anthony angsty flowershop au

its a new craze aziracrow start a podcast, is hilarious

5. Chapter fics:

Sounds like a plan very cathartic read, aroace aziraphale x bi crowley

In ķnowing, in silence follows canon, made me understand why and how people can ship them romantically and sexually(its beautiful, no smut yet, looks like thats in the cards )(follows canon)

Something undefined explores behind the scenes of production of good omens(inspires me to write whenever it pops up)

8. Definitely season 2, i went in nearly blind(knew only that the heads got together and that the main ship kiss)(funny how i shipped the former in s1) and it is full of Clues and has many favourite scenes, like bildad the shuhite and laudanum scene

15. My playlist is more like a list at the centre of my notes titled what crowley is listening to rn and s3 hypothetical playlist(voulez vous)

C's playlist:

Happy together by Turtles

Angel eyes by ABBA

Love of my life by Queen

Yeh dosti hum nahi todinge(we will never break this friendship) from the Hindi movie Sholay

22. Favourite crowley hairstyle is the half up half down from s1(antichrist delivery era)

24. Well idk i like the 'time is wibbly wobbly and has been manipulated' theory(i'd rather wait and see lol)

Thanks for the ask!

[ddixons-angel]

Fated: Season 3

Summary: Gloria Rhee narrowly escapes Atlanta with her brother as the outbreak reaches the city. Luckily, they find a camp outside the city and together, they fend through encounters with the living and undead.

Starts a little before Season 1 and then follows the main storyline of the show.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Glenn Sister!OC

Warnings: major TWD spoilers, language, violence (the typical TWD stuff)

A/N: Is it Friday already? :D Well, here’s a new chapter for you guys~ I think I forgot to mention in the last that this Season has 10 chapters total hehehe I love every part though haha~ Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 2

Rick had scoped out the prison and decided it was perfect and secure for his group. They had easily cleared out the courtyard with Rick’s leadership and teamwork they had all developed over the few weeks of travelling together. They had decided to rest in the now safe courtyard and wait until the next morning to take over the rest of the prison. As morale was high in the group with their recent wins, they easily cleared out the entrance to the prison. Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and T-Dog enter the prison walls first to clear out any walkers and Rick finds two sets of keys that open the gates to the cell block. Giving one set to Daryl, he goes to open the gate to the cell block. The rest of the group file into the cell block, claiming cells as their own and moving their belongings inside. 

“I ain’t sleepin’ in no cage,” Daryl says as he makes his way to the stairs to the second level of the block, “I’ll take the perch.”

He throws his bag on the ground, taking the perch as his area. Gloria chuckles then follows him up the stairs, wanting to take a cell up on the upper level. She chooses the one closest to the perch, putting down her things and laying down on the bed. 

The next morning, Rick, T-Dog, Glenn, Daryl, Maggie and Hershel were preparing to head deeper into the prison. Rick had suggested the night before that they need to find the infirmary, armory and cafeteria. He had also asked Gloria to stay back and watch over Lori and Carl. She agrees, knowing that with Hershel going she needed to make sure Lori was feeling fine. Carol and Gloria were both in Lori’s cell, looking after her as she didn’t look very well. 

“Carol, can you help me get Hershel?” she pleads and Carol nods, leaving the cell immediately to get the vet. 

“What’s wrong?” Hershel says in a soft voice as he kneels down beside Lori.

“Lori thinks she lost the baby.” Gloria tells him, sadness in her voice. 

Hershel purses his lips in deep thought, “have you felt the baby moving?” 

“No...” Lori says through her tears, “what if... what if it’s already dead inside me... what if it starts to rip me apart from the inside?” 

Gloria grabs onto Lori’s hands, squeezing gently, attempting to comfort the pregnant woman, “No, Lori, don’t think like that.” 

“Gloria’s right, you’re letting fear take over you, that’s not going to happen.” Hershel says reassuringly.

Lori sniffles then looks at Hershel and Gloria seriously, “What if I end up dying during childbirth... what if I turn and end up attacking you, or Rick, or Carl, or the baby? If that does happen, I want you both to promise me that you will put me down immediately.” 

Hershel sighs then looks at Gloria who also glances at him, then she gives him a nod, “Okay, we promise. But I want you to remember that you have two doctors with you, so that should ease some of your worries.” 

“Hey, I’m just a doctor in training.” Gloria says jokingly to try and lighten up the mood. 

Hershel chuckles, “that’s still a doctor.”

Gloria smiles then she turns to Lori, “have you taken your prenatals for the day yet?”

Lori smiles softly and shakes her head. Gloria pats the back of her hand and gets up to go get the vitamins for her. As she leaves the cell, the others are all armored up to head deeper into the prison. Hershel leaves to join them and Carl closes and locks the gates of the cell block when they set off. Gloria gets back to Lori’s cell and gives her the vitamins then walks back out of the cell. 

“I think we could clean up the place before they get back, what do you think?” Gloria asks Carol. 

She nods, “Yeah, we should.” she says smiling. 

With that, the girls start to clean up the cell block that has now become their safe haven. Gloria goes up to the second level and takes a mattress from one of the unoccupied cells, laying it down on the perch where Daryl had slept the night before. She then proceeds to clean up more scraps and garbage littered around the area. Carl is still standing by the gates then hurries to open the gate as he hears Rick calling out for them to open the gate in a panic. The rest of the group rush in, pushing a makeshift stretcher with Hershel lying unconsciously on top of it, the bottom half of his right leg cut off and bleeding out.

“Beth, get blankets, pillows, towels, bedsheets, anything that can soak up blood. Now!” Gloria orders the younger girl as she rushes into the cell.

Maggie and Rick make way for her as she kneels down beside Hershel. Gloria holds onto the towels that were already on Hershel’s stump, pressing down hard with her hands, coating the towels into a deep scarlet red. Beth rushes to the cell with bedsheets, pillows, and more towels. Gloria takes off the blood drenched towels and grabs a bedsheet from Beth, wrapping it tightly around Hershel’s thigh to try and cut off as much blood flow as possible. She then grabs a pillow and presses it down hard on the wound. After a vicious cycle and many bloodstained pillows and towels, Gloria finally managed to stop the bleeding, wrapping up the tender wound with a fresh bedsheet. 

“Did you guys manage to find the infirmary?” Gloria asks, slightly breathless while looking up at Rick.

He sighs and shakes his head, “No, not yet.” 

“We’re going to need to find it, and quick. Hershel’s going to need antibiotics to keep this from getting infected, who knows how dirty these bedsheets are.” she says with a frown.

Rick nods, “we’ll keep looking.” he says then pats her shoulder before leaving the cell, heading out the cell block.

Gloria gets up from Hershel’s side and immediately is met with Beth, hugging her tightly and crying. She hugs the young girl back, patting her back in hopes to comfort her. 

“Thank you... thank you for saving my daddy,” she cries.

Gloria sighs then pulls away from Beth, “don’t thank me yet, your dad will still need antibiotics otherwise I can’t guarantee that he won’t develop an infection. You gotta stay strong for him though, okay?” 

Beth sniffles and nods, “okay,” she wipes her tears away, “okay, I will.” 

Gloria looks over to Maggie who’s leaning on the doorway to the cell, her eyes wet with tears. The two women nod at each other with a mutual understanding then Gloria walks out of the cell as Maggie walks into the cell to comfort Beth. Gloria walks up to Glenn who’s leaning on the wall across Hershel’s cell and looking in with his arms crossed. 

“I stopped the bleeding, but we really need to find the infirmary.” Gloria tells him. 

Glenn nods at that, “Yeah... we have to find it soon.” 

Gloria sighs heavily, looking down at her blood soaked hands and attempts to wipe the drying blood on her pants, trying to distract herself from the bloody scene she just had to endure. She always had to calm herself down after something like that, even in her days as a nurse working in the ER. In the moment, she would be fine, keeping herself calm, collected, and professional but once it was over, her emotions and panic would catch up with her. Knowing her well, Glenn puts his hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.

“Hey, breathe slowly, deep breaths, come on. Breathe with me.” Glenn instructs as he helps her slow her breath, “you did really good just now.” 

Gloria doesn’t say anything and just nods and focuses on taking deep breaths. As she’s trying to calm herself, movement from outside the cell block catches her eye. Rick and Daryl were leading a group of unknown people outside when one of them turns to look in the direction of their cell block and she could swear that she saw him smirk at her. 

“Who are they?” Gloria says, gesturing to the people outside.

“Prisoners. They were locked up in the cafeteria.” Glenn informs her.

Gloria smiles a bit at that, “at least we found the cafeteria.” 

“Yeah,” Glenn chuckles, “that’s a small plus in our long chain of negatives.” 

Gloria glances over at Hershel’s cell, taking in the heartbreaking scene of Beth and Maggie waiting for their father to wake up. They needed to find the infirmary but Rick and Daryl were busy dealing with the prisoners. She decided to take it upon herself to look for it.

“Hey, look after Hershel, I need a bit of a breather.” Gloria tells Glenn and he nods, understanding.

She couldn’t tell Glenn she was wandering off on her own to find the infirmary, he’d never let her go, not alone anyway, so she had to lie. Rushing up the stairs to the upper level, she goes to retrieve the flashlight from her bag and equips her daggers onto her belt then heads out the back of the cell block. She sneaks down the hallway, dagger in her dominant hand, flashlight in the other lighting up her path. Gloria is cautious, listening intently for any snarling of walkers, killing any that get in her way. She uses the walker blood to mark her path, drawing a large ‘X’ so that she doesn’t get lost on her way back. After going through what seemed like a maze of identical walls, Gloria finally makes it to a set of double doors. She pushes the right side of the door cautiously and hears snarls from the inside of the room, she listens close to pin-point which side of the room the sounds are coming from. She peeks through the crack of the door, seeing shadows moving on the ground that told her the walkers were on the right side of the room. 

She skips to the left side of the door, letting the right door swing shut, she pushes the left door slightly to check how many walkers are in the room. Luckily, there were only three from what she could see and all of their backs were facing her. Gloria pushes through the door and in one swift motion, stabs at the walker closest to her in the back of the head, killing it then does the same to the other two. Looking around cautiously, she lets out a breath of relief as she sees that there are no more walkers in the room. Instead, there are fully stocked shelves of medical supplies. Grinning at her discovery, she starts to pack up bandages, painkillers, and antibiotics to bring back to Hershel. As she’s about to leave, a sight in the corner of the room catches her eye. She chuckles to herself as she sees a very familiar old friend: crutches. 

Taking the supplies back to the cell block, she smudges out any ‘X’ marks she made that didn’t point to the infirmary. When she gets back, her heart drops as Beth and Maggie are in the hallway, holding onto each other as they cried. Fear swallowed her as she thought that Hershel hadn’t made it. When Beth sees Gloria, she storms up to her.

“Where were you?! Daddy stopped breathing and you weren’t here!” Beth yells as she cries. 

“I-I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have left, I’m sorry.” Gloria says, feeling bad for leaving the young girl, “I found the infirmary and got supplies for your dad, he’s going to be okay.” 

“You went alone?!” Glenn exclaims, frowning at her, “why didn’t you tell anybody?” 

“Someone had to! You had to look after Maggie and Beth and I don’t want them leaving Hershel’s side, and I sure as hell am not letting Lori or Carl go exploring the prison.” Gloria retorts, she then goes into the cell where Hershel is laying, she puts down the supplies she'd retrieved on the ground in the corner of the cell, “how is he?” 

Maggie had returned to Hershel’s side, “he’s breathing again, Lori gave him CPR.”

Gloria nods, a small smile of relief on her face, she takes a bottle of antibiotics and a roll of bandages from the bunch of supplies then goes to Hershel. 

"Here, give these to him when he wakes up." she says as she gives Maggie the bottle of antibiotics. 

Maggie nods with a small grateful smile on her face. She watches as Gloria begins to unwrap Hershel's stump, replacing the bloody bedsheets with proper bandages. 

"These should also help with preventing infection." she says, standing up and pats Maggie's shoulder reassuringly, "your dad's gonna be fine." 

Just then, Daryl and Rick walk into the cell block. Rick goes into the cell where Hershel is and Gloria leaves the cell so that it isn’t as crowded. Gloria leans on the wall as Daryl walks up to her, frowning.

“What happened to ya?” he asks, referring to all the blood on her. 

“Had to stop Hershel’s bleeding.” she tells him, looking at the ground. 

He then gestures to her neck and shoulders, "ya got blood splattered all over ya, that from Hershel too?” 

“Walkers. I went to find the infirmary.” Gloria sighs then she adds just before Daryl is about to yell at her, “Don’t. Glenn already went off on me for going alone.” 

Daryl says nothing to that, pursing his lips together then notices that Gloria seemed different, “wha’s wrong?” 

She shakes her head then pushes herself off the wall, “I’m gonna get some air.” 

Daryl watches as she walks out of the cell block and outside the building altogether. He sighs and retreats to his spot on the perch, noticing the bed that was now laying there. A small smile pulls at his lips as he knew it was Gloria who did this. Later on, Hershel had finally woken up, relieving everyone in the cell block. Only Gloria didn’t know of this piece of good news as she was still sitting outside on the picnic bench. Daryl was leaning on the railing on the upper level of the cell block, contemplating whether or not to go out and check up on Gloria when Glenn walks up the stairs and stands beside him. An awkward silence emits between the two of them. 

“How’s Hershel?” Daryl was the first one to speak.

“He’s better. Talking with Beth and Maggie right now.” Glenn nods, then another moment of silence comes between them when Glenn finally speaks up again, “so, I’ve noticed something going on between you and Gloria.” 

Daryl scoffs at that, “what, that kiss on the highway in front o’ everyone wasn’t obvious enough?”

Glenn chuckles lightly, “well, I don’t know exactly what it is you have going on or what you can have going on, I just hope you can take care of her.”

“Ya ain’ threatenin’ me that ya’ll kill me if I hurt her, are ya?” Daryl side smiles at him.

“Nope,” Glenn says, “we both know that if you end up hurting her, she’s going to be the one who kills you.” 

Both of them laugh at that, Daryl nods, knowing that’s definitely true then he looks at Glenn, “I’ll take care o’ her.” 

---

Next Chapter

I would say this was a pretty eventful chapter, they cleared out their cell block, Hershel unfortunately lost his leg, and we learn more about Gloria and how she is with dealing with emergency situations. I know there wasn’t much Gloria and Daryl interactions here but I swear it leads up to a pretty sweet moment immediately next chapter! And then you get the cute but awkward moment with Glenn and Daryl so there’s that haha~ Let me know what you thought of this!

I hope everyone stays safe and healthy, please don’t panic, we will get through this!

And as always, I would really appreciate any comments left for me! I’ll be replying to any comments in a new post because this is a sideblog!

Taglist (please let me know if you’d list to be added/removed!):

@twdeadfanfic​ | @fandomfanatic97​ | @crossbowking​ | @watchmeaspire​ | @spidergirla5​ | @kamieshep​ | @letsstarsfalling​ | @molethemollie​ | @alicewinchester99​

[seidenbros]

Stranger Things Masterlist

Request are open closed until I've done the ones sitting in my askbox | prompt lists Let me know if you want to be on one of my taglists: Eddie x Reader | Promises-Series (Eddie x Reader) | Steddie | Steve Harrington x Reader 💚

Steddie | Steve x Eddie

Take Me Home Tonight | fluff, first date/kiss, mutual pining,

Dancing on My Own | smut (18+ minors dni), idiots in love

Who'll Stop the Rain | angst with happy ending, hurt comfort, Steve with ptsd and partial loss of hearing | Request by @dreamsoffilm

Memories Behind Glass | set in ISYTC universe,Christmas fluff, established relationship

Pancakes for Dinner | heavy angst, fluff, love confessions, idiots in love

Home Is Where the Heart Is | established relationship, hoh Steve,rockstar!eddie, Hawkins 2001,Eddie is suddenly a Dad

I See Your True Colours | post S4, fix-it, canon divergence everybody lives, falling in love, nightmares, sharing a bed Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Eddie Munson x Reader

Happy Birthday, Princess | pure fluff

Love and Music | fluff, bit of angst (Request from @ghosttownwherenoonegoes )

Gods a fucking Nerd | fluff, sexual tension, asshole ex mentioned

Pillows and Snacks | pure fluff

I'll Speak with My Eyes | smut (18+), Follow-up to God's a fucking Nerd

Latching on to You | Request, fluff, angst, post S3,protective Eddie

Follow Your Dreams, They Know the Way | Request, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff in the end,pregnant reader, break-up

Broken Strings | Request, angst, hurt/comfort, domestic abuse, mentioned child abuse, violence, scars, fluff in the end

I'll Be Your Harbour | Request by @ghosttownwherenoonegoes | angst, animal cruelty (mentioned), crying, hurt/comfort

I've Got Two Tickets to Iron Maiden | Request, angst, hurt/comfort, signs of a panic attack, big crowds, best friends/idiots to lovers

Wanna Be Somebody to Someone | Angst, hurt/comfort,mentions of blood and bullying, Jason & Eddie fight

Go Your Own Way | Request, fluff, maybe a bit of angst, bit of mutual pining, absent mother, Bauman!Reader

Kiss You Inside Out | smut (18+), falling in love

Christmas Cookies | Wayne Munson, fluff, Christmas time

The Stars Remind Me of You | fluff, Hopper!Reader, fake-dating, falling in love | @loveronlineee 's 10 followers celebration

You're Insecure, Don't Know What for | reader with vitiligo, fluff, angst, insecurities,flirting | request by @apolixyan

Be Scared and Do It Anyway | fluff, flirting watching scary movies | request by @amzngdevil

Touch the Rain | pure fluff, kissing in the rain

Dancin' in the Dark | Eddie takes you to prom, fluff, slight suggestive sentences

Falling to Pieces | cptbs, panic attack,child abuse,angst with happy ending, hurt/comfort | request by anonymous

You Got Me Burnin' Up | smut (18+), oral, vaginal sex, esptablished relationship

Help! I Need Somebody | fluff, getting to know each other, helping Eddie witht he HFC logo | Request by @hacker-ghost

Looking up for My Stargirl | fluff, Rockstar!Eddie, belive in fate

I Call It Flirting | angst to fluff, enemies to lovers, broken nose, blood | Request by anonymous

I'll Keep You Warm | angst to smut (18+),enemies to lovers, soft dom Eddie | Request by anonymous

Obviously, She's Out Of My League | slightly perv Eddie, bit of angst, bit of fluff | Request by anonymous

PART 1: Hello Neighbour | shameless smut (18+), perv reader, masturbation, voyeurism PART 2: There's No One Like You | shameless smut (18+), mutual masturbation, voyeurism, vaginal sex PART 3: Rock You Like a Hurricane | shameless smut (18+),shower sex, breast fucking, unprotected sex

Lips Like Honey | fluff, slightly suggestive | Request by anonymous

Hot for Teacher | fluff, bit of angst, mutual pining, teacher-student | Request by anonymous

With you, anything is possible | pregnancy scare, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff | request by anonymous

Trailer Park Trash | angst with happy ending, hurt/comfort, insecure Eddie | Request by @hacker-ghost

Personal Problem | smut (18+), mutual masturbation, use of a vibrator, dirty talk | for Spookinktober by @sparklingsin

Always Have, Always Will | soft smut (18+), friends to enemies to lovers, best friend Eddie, domestic Eddie, fluff, angst, hurt comfort, happy ending, | request by anonymous

Christmas Traditions | pure fluff, domestic Eddie, German traditions

Let Your Passion Set the Word on Fire | jealous Eddie, kinda one sided enemies to lovers, fluff | Request by Anonymous

It's Written in the Stars | barkeeper Eddie, they were roommates, best friends to lovers, mutual pining,

Single Dad! Eddie x Female Reader Christmas Lights | fluff, domestic stuff,first meeting How to ask someone out | fluff, domestic, asking you out

Promises-Series

Promises Part 1 | fluff, teenage/kid Eddie Munson, first love/kiss

Part 2: Should I Stay or Should I Go | fluff, lots of angst, reunion

Part 3: Rainbow in the Dark | angst, hurt/comfort, canon-divergence, canonical violence, start of Season 4

Part 4: Holy Diver | angst, a tiny bit of fluss, domesticity,canon divergence (we're in Season 4), canonical violence

Part 5: Bat out of Hell | major angst, blood, injuries, canon divergence (Season 4 Vol. 2)

Part 6: Don't You (Forget About Me) | major angst, blod, canon divergence, everybody lives

Drabbles in this Universe: 1980: Look! Fireflies!

Steve Harrington x Reader

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now | fluff, best friends to lovers, idiots in love, love confession

Love Is Easy | fluff, love confessions,mentions of ptsd, nightmares and panic attacks | Request by anonymous

Just Take My Hand | established relationship, talks of depression, angst, fluff, sweet and caring Steve, gn!reader | Request by Anonymous

Sweet Temptations | Baker!Steve, fluff, making out, sexual tension, mutual pining, Robin's college roommate best friend | Request by anonymous

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Married Life | Eddie x Chrissy, fluff, pregnancy, | request by @borhapgirlforlife19

Unnamed | Joe Keery's little sister Jamie, on set, platonic friend Dacre, nausea, undereating | Request by @allyspencer

[shoichee]

Can i get a soulmate fic for kise please? What i was thinking was that they have this "hate" relationship (where they passed the line between love and hate, but they just don't know it yet). Like they argue because it's like routine for them already. Manga (and jealous?? but doesn't know that what he's feeling is jealousy :P) kise please!! It's up to you what kind of soulmate thing, but maybe something that takes time to show since they've been interacting and all that. Thanks so much!!

Paradox

[Kise x f!Reader]

soulmate!au, enemies to lovers!au, manga!kise, cursing!kise to bits, LONG SERIES FIC

Hana is the name I decided to give to the brunette who flirted with Haizaki in s3

Synopsis: Kise despises people like you more than anyone else, the type of people who are shallow, coquettish, and so high-strung on acquiring a soulmate more than anyone else. Nothing good ever comes out of someone who hangs out with the brunette girl along with Haizaki.

You despise two-faced people like him... that's what you like to tell yourself. After all, you're only honest about what you want with people, and if it can help you get a soulmate faster... Where's the crime in that? High-and-mighty people like Kise who didn't believe in soulmates were pretentious, and he was no exception. And you'll do whatever it takes to get what you want, even if it means throwing away your heart in the process, because happiness will come to you once you're with your soulmate... you just know it.

Chapters 3-4 can be found here!

Word Count:

Part 1: 3386 | Part 2: 2131

A/N: This post includes both chapters 1 and 2! Well, it's here... I have the entire brainstorm of where I need this plot to go, but writing it out in fic form as opposed to long headcanons? ... Not my strongest suit but here I go? Please support this series through reblogs/likes and comments! I'd love to interact with everyone!

current 🏷: @nadav-ii, @carinacassiopeiae, @kendrex13, @roppongiperfume, @thesongstressayre, @kimigiri09, @takatul, @evierena, @one-one-one-one @seijurosempress @inum4k1

Chapter 1, Kise’s POV

»»—————　☼　—————««

Addressed to Kise Ryōta:

You will meet your soulmate in a place where there are many other people. You will have your first real encounter with them in a place where you always spend your time through the years. Be careful to keep track of where you are at all times. Your soulmate is always with company, and they are never lonely. You must be careful to not actively seek out for your fated encounter, for you’ll certainly miss them. You must remain committed and seek out things that keep you steady and motivated. Only then is it possible for your soulmate to come to you instead.

Kise would like to think he’s a romantic at heart—cheesy guy even, but on the other hand, he actively scoffs at the letter’s content… that he’s had memorized for years now. He has no choice on the matter of whether or not he’ll remember it. Not when his “letter” was just a measly paragraph. He remembered being awfully jealous and whiny of his past classmates bringing their 2-page letter to class to show off and getting the “ooh’s” and “ah’s” from everyone else. That was one sure-fire way to distinguish yourself from the crowd and make a name for yourself. Over the years, Kise’s learned that it would become a separate type of “popularity hierarchy,” whereas those with the most elaborate, mysterious, or unique soulmate letters are the ones at the top of the social ladder. Bonus points if it somehow involves all three factors.

And somehow, he also ended up at the popular side of that hierarchy too. Not like he cared, but it’s wildly convenient sometimes to get what you want from people. Still, no benefits from being popular this way could ever outweigh the massive inconveniences; he made the grievous mistake of revealing his letter contents to a casual friend in “good-natured fun.” And before he knew it, the entire school ended up knowing about it too… and then the entire neighborhood… and somehow, it went even into the ears beyond that.

Thus, it started his chronic illness of being tailed after by girls of all backgrounds. With no cure in sight for the ailment that he certainly didn’t ask for. It’s almost terrifying how a single day transformed every single girl into a parasitic bee on a search for the brightest, most colorful flower. Kise, already popular for his looks to begin with, suddenly was shoved under a more blinding spotlight of public scrutiny. If he was going to be completely honest… he liked it… at first. The newfound attention was euphoric and foreign, and he relished in it. But just like anything else, it got… boring.

Some might call it the ultimate blessing: it could make searching for a soulmate much easier and less effort on his end, they’d argue. Kise had come to beg to differ. Not when hundreds of the same faces with hundreds of clamors claimed and cried that they were his soulmate. How do fourteen girls suddenly have the “other half of the puzzle” to his own letter when there were… thirteen other girls claiming the same thing?

See, one soulmate gets a letter describing a general location of where they’d meet their soulmate. The other soulmate gets a letter describing a general timeframe of when they’d meet. Not like it actually helps narrowing down the process of pairing up people. Because he knows this shit can take years—decades, in fact—before he can even get a first glimpse of his soulmate. And the ordeal of people constantly screaming in his face that the time they’d meet their soulmate is now and hence, “it must be Kise” got old really quickly.

It’s utterly stupid. Who does this sender think they are to decide how Kise gets to live his life? What type of sadistic game were they playing by forcing the other soulmate to have the other half of the information, which would be, no doubt, just as annoyingly cryptic?

He stopped denying all the rumors of a girl claiming to be his soulmate; for every rumor he clarified and quashed during his naive youth, three more sprung up the next week. Ignoring them sounds counterintuitive, but when he allows the many rumors and girls to multiply and fester, the number of annoyances are still relatively the same: nearly infinite.

Such has become the life of Kise Ryōta.

Worst part of this whole damn thing was, he won’t be able to know when he’d meet his soulmate, not until he shares a “kiss of genuine integrity” with them… and he doesn’t even know where to begin with that requirement. Supposedly, after you kiss the right person with the right intention, something changes in the mysterious letter that would indicate he found the soulmate. Problem is, it’s different for everyone: some get a drawing of their soulmate at the end of the letter; some simply have the name of their soulmate written at the end; some get an engraved stamp; and the list goes on and on. The main takeaway from it all is that his letter should have a visible change at the end… if he could even get to that point at this rate.

“Oh my gosh…! Is that—That’s Kise-kun!!”

“Eh?! Where, where?! Let me see!”

This is ludicrous. What kind of deity up there decided to put a twisted spin on this sappy, fairy tale trope? He gives a harsh exhale before he puts up a polite smile and continues on with his day. His first day at Teiko.

“Please join our club…!” Several girls huddle around the table, eager to show the good-looking boy their information trifold-cardboard and flyers. Unsurprisingly, every single one of them had eyes of ulterior motive. At the sight, Kise resists the urge to roll his eyes at them. He stands there for a bit, watching their mouths move, but in truth, he’s not hearing a single thing out of them.

This girl looks decent… her hair is a bit weird, though.

Oh, she sure has a strange accent… and this girl has odd eyebrows.

Ugh, this one talks too much at a too-high pitch.

“Ah… well…” He puts up a chagrined smile, not knowing where to look before he smoothly waves goodbye. “I have something else to check out. Keep yourselves well, ladies!” With that, he immediately prepares his ears for shrieks of admiration and lovesickness.

Good riddance.

———

As much as he hates to admit it, he still doesn’t know what that letter exactly means to this day. Some of the sentences that consider themselves as “hints” or “instructions” are way too vague to be considered such.

He begrudgingly opens up the envelope containing the letter for the umpteenth time again. Kise sits on his desk in his own room, illuminated by the sunlight filtering through the glass pane. Floating dust particles are instantly revealed where the light hits, but he doesn’t care, his attention only on what’s important. Chin on his desk, Kise lays the envelope and letter on the flat surface, trying to see what he could be missing. By now, the paper is slightly worn out from years of Kise thumbing, flipping, inserting, folding, unfurling—you name it, in hopes of finding any hidden clues as to who’s the sender and how to solve this “riddle” that ultimately determines the rest of his life. The seal wax on the envelope is beyond recognition, cracked and no longer aesthetically pleasing to look at.

An unassuming creme-white envelope laid tactfully on top of the same desk years ago, the light from his room window shining on it like a natural spotlight. Stray dust floated around, acting like confetti to announce its unexpected, (yet important) quiet arrival. Adorned with a wax seal, the middle of it was impressed in the center of the seal with a perfect copy of his “hanko” that clearly had the kanji for his name. Which was weird… wasn’t counterfeiting hankos illegal? Being beyond skeptical even for his young age at the time of the discovery, Kise thoroughly checked every crease and fold of the paper. Yes, he even dared to open the window and looked around in case someone had the gall to play a prank on him. Opening up the envelope did nothing to calm him down as soon as he realized it was the infamous “soulmate letter.”

So God help him.

“Well…” he sighs, picking up the letter closer to his face, chin still firmly on the wood. “It wouldn’t hurt to double-check one more time, right?”

[You will meet your soulmate in a place where there are many other people.]

He frowns not even a second into the letter. Well that’s not EXACTLY helpful, is it? he ruefully thinks, recalling the constant faces surrounding him with hopeful, shining eyes. How am I going to figure out which of them is the right person? He groans in frustration before reluctantly moving on to the next part.

[You will have your first real encounter with them in a place where you always spend your time through the years. Be careful to keep track of where you are at all times.]

This also makes no damn sense. He blows a strand out of his hair in annoyance, but he stops at a realization. I guess I’ve been in the studio for a long time… It has been a couple years since he started out as a casual model, so perhaps he’s on the right track. He allows himself a small grin of triumph.

[Your soulmate is always with company, and they are never lonely. You must be careful to not actively seek out for your fated encounter, for you’ll certainly miss them.]

His grin grows wider. This is it…! It only makes sense that they’re also involved within the modeling industry. Are they a photographer, makeup artist, stylist… or even, are they also a model like him? It would only make sense if they’re never alone like he is. And maybe trying to seek them out when they also attract other people to them would make it harder to face them alone? He frowns. Or maybe it’s because they’re one of my many admirers? That one is still a bit muddy. But he remains hopeful.

[You must remain committed, and seek out things that keep you steady and motivated. Only then is it possible for your soulmate to come to you instead.]

The most cryptic part of the letter. If he’s going to try to base this off of the premise of his soulmate being near his modeling job, maybe he should pursue the pastime beyond just a hobby and turn it into a career? But other than that, all the things he’s tried out, especially sports, have gotten boring and thus, been abandoned. He bangs his forehead on the table, grin wiped off of his face realizing how he instantly got kicked back into square one.

This… this doesn’t make any sense!

———

It’s been two years at Teiko. Still no sign of this soulmate. He’s not surprised that by now, nearly the entire school somehow caught wind of the contents of his letter…. though, rumors have been getting wilder and wilder as days pass.

“Kise-kun.”

“Ee-ee-eeeee!!” The sudden voice makes him jump out of his skin before he whirls around in a panic. “Kurokocchi!! Could you stop doing that??”

Kuroko merely gives his signature blank look before he continues walking on like nothing happened.

“Y-You’re really gonna ignore me?!”

“It’s almost time for practice,” he says, turning back to face him expressing theatrical tears. “We don’t want to be late, or Akashi-kun will find out.”

At the mention of the captain’s name, Kise merely gulps before he catches up with Kuroko’s stride with no further complaints.

“But did you have to pop out of nowhere?”

Honestly, I still don’t get that part about him.

“I can’t help it,” he deadpans, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s not much different from your popularity.”

“When you put it like that,” he sighs, putting his arms behind his head. “I guess I can see it.” He eyes the back of Kuroko’s head—who’s been walking ahead—for several minutes before he finally musters up the courage to ask.

“Say, Kurokocchi…”

“Yes?” Kuroko continues keeping up his pace, but he slightly looks back to Kise in acknowledgment.

“Did you get your soulmate letter yet?”

At the question, Kuroko merely blinks before he replies. “I received an envelope in my locker yesterday. I thought it was strange since no one ever notices me to begin with, so I thought someone must’ve mistaken my locker for someone else’s.” Kise waits with bated breath for him to continue.

“And?”

Kuroko looks away for a second. “Yeah, it had my hanko on it. I opened it to make sure it wasn’t an error on the sender’s end. Sure enough…” he nods before finishing his reveal, “it was in fact, about my soulmate.”

“What did it say?!” Kise nearly jumps on Kuroko out of anticipation, but he barely manages to keep himself in check.

“That I’ll find my soulmate when I’m 17 to 18,” he says matter-of-factly. “So that means… I’d be a 3rd year in high school. But it also said I would already encounter them at several points in my life prior.”

Kise face-palms at his answer. “What the hell? How come yours is so straightforward?”

He only shrugs as a response, because they were already at the front steps of the gym. It looks like they got here on time. Kuroko announces the two of them before he helps pull out the ball carts. As shoe squeaks and ball dribbles echo throughout the interior, Kise stands there mulling over Kuroko’s information.

So Kurokocchi had the part of the soulmate information that only told the approximate time frame… Still, his was way too simple… or did he somehow decipher it really easily?

Kise makes a loud noise of frustration as he grabs and shakes his head, completely ignoring the concerned looks from the other first-string players.

Eurghh!! Why is mine too complicated?!

———

Kise looks at the letter in his hands again. Looking at it sort of pisses him off at this point, the wrinkled font clearly mocking and challenging him to solve it… if he could even do it to begin with. He holds the top of the paper with his two hands, his thumbs and forefingers gripping tighter. He can just rip it. He really can… who’s stopping him?

Actually, has there been anyone who ripped their letter like this before?

He intensely stares at it for a few moments, juggling his options and weighing the consequences if he did choose to shred his fate into pieces. He gives a resigned pout when he comes to the conclusion that maybe it’d be best if he didn’t test that theory out. With a huff, he roughly folds up the paper and shoves it into the envelope before tossing it haphazardly onto a low shelf.

“That’s it,” he declares out to the room. “I’m not going to bother with this soulmate shit. I’m going to live my life however I want, and no one can stop me otherwise.”

And suddenly, he feels ten times better, like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. I should’ve done this sooner, he thinks, yawning as he gets ready for a good nap in his bed. Thinking about this is way too tiring and troublesome. Why should I even care about it anymore?

———

Somehow, his admirers became bolder and bolder, realizing that they should try to push his boundaries and see how much they can get away with. It started with tentative brushes of his shirt and his arms, thinking he didn’t notice. Of course he fucking noticed, when ten other girls had the same idea. Birds of a feather flock together—something he remembers, snorting derisively in his mind yesterday. But what does he do? Put some distance between them and himself with a cheery smile and a fastbreak walk. And then today, they have the audacity to actually grab him?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Is it true that your soulmate letter told you that you’d meet someone so beautiful in a place no one goes to?”

“No, that’s wrong! I’ve heard that he’s looking for someone in a place where he works.”

“Should we also apply there then…?”

Kise drops his sunny disposition like a drop of a hat, and those who had their eyes and hands on him immediately flinch at the sudden change. All the loud whispers cease.

“K-Kise-kun…? Is there something wrong?”

“Is there someone bothering you?”

How do you guys have no self awareness?

“Ah, sorry…” Kise gives a placid smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You see—”

“Oh!!~ Ryōta-kun!!”

Everyone jumps at the sound of his first name used so familiarly, but Kise is more shocked than the rest of them because he doesn’t recognize the voice one bit. What the hell is going on?

A girl ruthlessly pushes through the crowd before she bounces to his side with such a saccharine smile that Kise is almost impressed by the feat. But his thoughts short-circuit when she comfortably wraps her perfectly-manicured hands around his left arm, her brunette hair swept across her shoulder and touching his sleeve. He gets a full whiff of her fragrance, and he slightly grimaces before his thoughts finally catch up to register what just happened.

What the f—

“Everyone is so touchy today!!” she declares with a slight pout, ringing her voice loudly for everyone nearby to hear on purpose. “Don’t you guys know Ryōta-kun is my soulmate?”

“O-Oi—who said—” Kise immediately tries to jump in, but the girl is quicker to cut him off.

“He’s mine! Sorry girlies!” she says with a playful innocence before narrowing her eyes maliciously at the crowd. “... So you’ll have to leave, ‘mkay?” No sooner she speaks those words, the group disperses, and for the first time, Kise’s relatively alone in broad daylight in the middle of a public space. Though, he now has a bigger issue at hand. This girl.

There’s no doubt the entire school would talk about this the next day and weeks to come… probably months too. He drops his nice facade completely with her. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but stop it. The shit you’re doing right now isn’t cute in the slightest.”

“Oh! Ryōta-kun… don’t you know how attractive you are when you look at me like that?” She leans forward with a sneer of her own. “But you should be thanking me, no? I got rid of the pests for you, didn’t I?”

“I didn’t need your help,” he scoffs, beginning to turn away to walk. “If anything, you sound more desperate than I am.” There’s only one reason why she’s here.

He fumes to himself. She’s annoying, trying to use me for my status as a model to boost her own reputation in a hopeful “scandal.” Fucking hell. I’ll have to ask my manager about this later for rumor control… He clicks his tongue, making it loud enough for her to hear.

At least he knows 100% that she isn’t his soulmate. That’s one girl down out of infinity.

He walks with such controlled anger brewing within him that he almost didn’t notice another girl walking past him. Almost.

“Hana-chan!” a voice called out. He presumes that the brunette is who the voice is looking for. “Why’d you ditch me like that? You left me with these boys all alone! You know how starved they are—They totally looked at me like a piece of meat!”

“Aish, (y/n)-chan!” He hears her annoying voice echoing behind him. He walks faster. “Don’t you know you have that charm? Can you blame them?~ I wouldn’t, hehe.”

“Mou—! Hana-chan!” You speed to Hana, completely ignoring Kise as you storm past him. “You’re mean!”

He takes a quick side glance at you before his scowl turns harsher.

Who the hell in their right mind is friends with that bitch??

“Sorry, sorry!~”

But Kise can obviously tell she isn’t sorry in the least. He’s even more pissed off when he hears you pleasantly laugh with her, completely accepting her half-assed apology.

Chapter 2, Kise’s POV

———

“Huh? What’d you say Ryōta?”

“I said I want to play for the starting position.” Kise’s voice takes on an arrogant tone, dropping all polite facade—a rare occurrence, especially around so many people. The other first-string players watch the interaction anxiously, tension building in the gym.

This guy isn’t taking me seriously at all, is he?

Haizaki merely gives him a condescending look when he turns to face Kise. “You just joined the team. Hah—don’t be stupid.” He cocks a brow to taunt him further. “Besides, you can’t even beat me at practice. What do you think you’re doing, eh?”

I know what I’m doing, and you damn know it.

Kise merely gives a cocky look of his own. “I may not stand a chance against the other four, but I think I’m ready to take you.” More than ready. The mentioned Generation of Miracles stand aside to watch Haizaki’s response, not making any particular move to interfere.

“Heh, you must not think much of me.” Haizaki puts his hands casually on his hips. “It’s obvious I just don’t take practice seriously.” He licks his thumb as another taunt. “Fine. I’ll give you a taste of what I can really do.”

Honestly… what type of sick guy even does that? I can’t stand him.

. . .

A dunk there.

Another dunk.

Steal.

Backtip.

“Uh-oh. Kise-chin’s getting destroyed,” a lazy voice rings over the shoe squeaks and echoing ball bounces in the one-on-one match.

Damn it, you didn’t have to say that out loud, Murasakibaracchi… Damn it.

“More! I’m not done yet…!” Kise breathes hard, wiping sweat off his chin with the back of his arm and takes on a defensive stance.

“It’ll end the same way every time.”

“W-Wha—!”

“You and I…” Haizaki deals the finishing blow with a brutal dunk. “... are cut from different cloth.”

Ah… shit. Damn it, I thought I had it this time… I thought… damn…

“Shōgo-kun!” a feminine voice calls out from the doorway. A brunette girl pops her head to peep in. Hana. “Are you done with practice?”

Ugh… not her. Kise inwardly blanches at hearing her nauseating voice filling up the room and remembering the stunt she pulled the other day. Of all people to see me like this too…

“Yeah, sorry. I just finished,” Haizaki calls out, voice turning casual. He walks to her with an outstretched arm, eager for a touch before she recoils in disgust.

“Eurgh—!” she shrieks. “You’re still drenched in sweat!”

“Pft, I’ll take a quick shower.” He leans forward to her face, hands on his hips. “Do you wanna come with me?”

“Oh, come on!” she chastises him with that sickenly sweet voice, knowing fully well of his implications.

Kise huffs a small breath of annoyance, though it doesn’t do enough to convey his irritation for her. What a fake. People like her are so unbearable—the worst.

Aomine sighs, watching from a distance away. “That bastard…”

“Hey,” another player calls out. “Isn’t that… That’s Kise’s new girlfriend. Are they soulmates?”

Bullshit! She’s not—

“Ryōta-kun?”

Don’t use my first name like we’re familiar—

“Yeah.” Haizaki turns back to stare down at Kise, still on the ground with his hands and knees. “This guy just challenged me and lost.”

“Seriously? Talk about lame~”

“Anyways, that’s that.” Haizaki prepares to leave with the brunette. “Later, Ryōta-kun.” He adds an emphasis on the honorific to further humiliate him as he turns around.

Kise begins to tremble, fists tightening. All of you piss me off. He grits his teeth, willing himself to get up from his total loss and stand on his feet again. His hands are hanging loosely at his sides—stance relaxed, but no one around him can tell what he’s actually feeling from the way he hides his face under his bangs. But he can’t blame Haizaki… that’s the most infuriating part. He’s right… I challenged him and didn’t stand a chance—That can only mean I have to get stronger.

“Hey, wait!” Another voice cuts through his thoughts when more running footsteps echo down the gym hallway. Kise looks up with a disinterested expression at the source of the noise. “There you are! I’ve been looking for you! Aren’t we going to the arcade together?”

Haizaki merely smirks at you, giving you a once-over before flicking his hand towards himself to beckon you over. “The more the merrier, eh?”

“Oh, Shōgo-kun! You’re so sly!”

“Ehhhhh?” You dramatically gasp, turning to Haizaki. “But you agreed on going on a date with me today, didn’t you?” Haizaki stops with a raised brow to try to recall before his grin grows wider at you.

“My bad. So I did,” he hums. “Then,” he turns to the brunette, “After the shower, I’ll be with (y/n), yeah? You’re more than free to join, though.”

“Whaaaat?” You tilt your head at him. “We agreed to go alone together, geez…”

Kise merely tunes you out from that point on, no longer interested in you and whatever shit you were going to spew out. Anyone involved with Haizaki like that isn’t good to begin with. He slowly walks to use the exit on the opposite side of the gym to avoid the group for good measure.

She’s just like the rest of them. He yawns.

———

Another day, another practice. Even after Teiko destroyed Meiko in the national finals, there is no excitement buzzing among the basketball players from such an accomplishment, when such wins are simply obligatory and frequent.

“Midorimacchi? Where’s everyone else?” Kise enters the gym nonchalantly but stops to do a double take to see half the room empty. It’s supposed to be another regular day of practice isn’t it?

Midorima pauses, his hands on a plastic bottle before he narrows his eyes. “Those fools chose to ditch.”

Fools? Kise widens his eyes. “You can’t mean…”

“I don’t understand their way of thinking,” he continued, putting down the bottle before picking up the ball. “Those who don’t do everything humanly possible within their limits—I can’t be friends with such people. Luckily, my soulmate will not be the same.”

Soulmate?

“Aominecchi and Murasakibaracchi? And hey, where’s Akashicchi?”

“Quiet,” he says, going into a shooting position with the ball in his left hand. “You’re ruining my focus, nanodayo.” He shoots a half-court shot. All net, as always… nothing less from Teiko’s shooting guard.

“I’m serious,” he slightly sulks, eyeing the ball bouncing out of the court before looking back at him. “I don’t know what’s going on here.” Midorima, sensing the serious tone, turns back as he adjusts his glasses.

“Kuroko quit yesterday. Akashi is most likely gone regarding that. Though, I doubt losing Kuroko would make a huge impact to the starter lineup. Despite that, I believe Akashi wanted to be thorough and make sure there’s a temporary sixth man installed in the meantime.”

Kurokocchi quit? Well, it’s not a big deal. It’s almost the end of our 3rd year here anyways… before we graduate.

Kise further raises a confused brow. “And what’s with the soulmate comment? Did you already…?”

“Obviously not.” Midorima frowns at his insinuation. “It is far too soon for me to get one.”

“Then why do you sound so confident?!”

“Because I know,” he replies, closing his eyes briefly before looking down at the ball cart next to him. “… and trust that they’ll give me someone capable. Naturally, if I were to do everything possible on my end, that would only mean I would be granted someone of the same caliber in the future, nanodayo. There is no room for error or doubt.”

“Uh…” Kise merely gives a judgmental stare. “So I’m assuming you have a soulmate letter, and it told you this?” Midorima stops himself from shooting to stare at him incredulously, as if Kise was the most idiotic thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

“Of course not. I’m not opening that letter until the oha asa predicts the luckiest year for cancers yet.”

“I… wow.” That’s Midorimacchi for you, always the weirdo. Can’t believe he really thinks like that.

“You have no place to speak when you also are nowhere near to finding your soulmate, idiot.” He shoots the ball again. He grabs another one without looking at Kise, who’s currently no doubt giving him the look of a kicked puppy.

“I don’t believe in soulmates,” he grumbles. “Not anymore, anyways. It’s too annoying to think about.”

Midorima widens his eyes to stare at Kise, registering the foreign words coming from his mouth.

Midorimacchi, don’t look at me like that… can you blame me? It’s not that weird for a lot of people to think that, too.

Midorima merely sighs. “Say all you want, but you can’t deny the fates, nanodayo.” He goes back to ignoring Kise again, this time for good. I guess he finds that really strange on his end.

“Well…” Kise gives a heavy sigh of his own. “I guess I can get some drills in.”

———

Kaijo’s nice enough. Nothing’s really changed since becoming a 1st year here for a couple months. The campus might be twice the size of Teiko’s, and the basketball team isn’t that bad. Kasamatsu might be scary, though, but he has no real complaints about him. Well… he reconsiders the thought, feeling his lower back throbbing. Actually… he COULD try to lessen up on his kicks… But I guess he means well. He’s a bit too serious, though.

He still has plenty of complaints about girls following him around, but by now, he’s used to it. Call it a staple of Kise Ryōta, of some sorts. Kise of Kaijo… he thinks, remembering Kasamatsu’s lecture on his first day of scouting. It really does have a nice ring to it after all.

He smiles, recalling the new bonds he’s forged with his teammates these past matches. The Winter Cup is coming soon, so everyone’s buzzing with excitement and anticipation to take home 1st place this year. Kurokocchi might be right about doing what’s good for the team. I need to get stronger for our rematch. His simper only grows bigger.

Thinking about basketball and not worrying about the unnecessary things at hand is so liberating that he pretty much forgets the ordeal. (Like the business of soulmates, but he’s not thinking about that! That’s not even remotely in his consciousness, not one bit.)

Unfortunately for him, his smile is wiped from his face the moment he enters the gym.

“Heyah, heyah, heyah!” He furrows his brows in slight confusion at the voice, most definitely not belonging to any of his teammates. That sounds… familiar.

Your voice reverberates throughout the gym, but it seems like you have no regard for an indoor voice as your eyes sparkle (how creepy) at his teammates. And your own smile widens as seconds pass (definitely creepy). Kise’s frown becomes harsher when he finally recognizes you.

I don’t remember what she looks like… but that damn voice… wait a second—

Kasamatsu sighs at you, but he tries to keep a polite tone with you. Even so, anyone can sense how exasperated he is. “Sorry, look,” he says cordially, eyeing Kise at the door before turning his gaze back at you. “If you’re looking for Kise, he’s not here right now, and if you are going to wait for him, he’ll be occupied with practice from soon until hours later.”

You do that same head tilt you did back at Teiko. “But I’m not here for him.”

His teammates merely sweatdrop at your answer. Right, like anyone believes that. Kise takes a quiet step in to put his duffel bag on an empty spot, no longer even bothering to give you his attention anymore.

“Yeah, sorry.” Kobori steps in with an apologetic smile of his own. “If you want to leave any gifts, you can leave it with the coach.”

“No, no!” You widen your eyes theatrically, waving your hands around in front of your chest to emphasize your statement. “You misunderstand me, seriously!”

Kasamatsu, having enough of you, shoots an exhale before turning to yell to the other players, “Everyone! Start warming up! And don’t slack off, or I’ll kick your ass!”

“I’m not here for Kise,” your voice rings out loud and clear. “I’m here for Kasamatsu-senpai.” Everyone freezes at the mention of the captain’s name. What business did a 1st year have with a 3rd year? They spare a look in the captain’s direction, but even he’s caught off guard. Kise looks up at you from behind, a few meters away.

Does she even know that I’m actually here, or…?

“Because,” you say, a little too brightly. “I think you’re my soulmate, Kasamatsu-senpai!”

Said captain immediately chokes on air.

Every single person in the gym has their jaws dropped.

A few seconds of silence take over the gym.

“WHAT??????!!!!”

[helloliriels]

LIRIELS MASTER POST

Headers link to read (*indicates WIP, or may be cont.):

LIRIELS CHAPTERED FICS (5k+)

L.O.V.E. - John Watson wanted a soulmate. His sister ... just wanted this game to be over. Enter Sherlock Holmes. Fate it seems, has it's own plans ... and the game? Is never over! (27k, M, Only You AU, Italy, fortune teller, ouija board)

*(I Love You) Infinitely - With a snap of his fingers, Thanos caused the heartache and loss of half a planet's population ... and Watson of all people, could kiss the glove that did. (19k+, T, Infinity War, Post-TRF)

*Christmas in Honeycutt - John's publisher invites a sailor out to his idyllic estate for a Christmas worthy a hero ... only ... John doesn't have an estate. Or a wife. Or a child. He just writes about them! (25k+, M, WWII, spy, codes)

Give My Love To The Chef - John visits the restaurant after the Fall. They serve him the perfect dishes. Dishes that make him feel homesick and happy. Somehow ... the chef always knows what he wants before he asks ... (18k, M, Post-TRF, Fix-it)

Playing Cupid - What if Sherlock sent Mike out to bring Watson back? What if he was taking no chances on that chance meeting? (ASIP fix-it, canon complicit)

Spin The Bottle - Have you ever played this game before, Sherlock? (8k, M, S1-2ish, Strip Games)

*What If I'm Not? - Maybe in confessing why he's not o.k. ... he is really pushing Sherlock out of his life for good. How could such a disclosure not? (5k+, correspondence fic, fluff collab)

LIRIELS SHORT FICS (up to 5K)

PAYPHONE - (<2k ea., post-TRF alternates)

Keep Us From Falling - (5k, T, Una Stubbs tribute)

*Love Potion No. 9 - (5k, G, HP au, complete as-is)

The Years Keep Returning Me To You - (4k)

*Give Me A Reason - (4k, New Years alt meet)

The Girlfriend Mixup - (3k, angst, fluff)

Bleeding Out - (3k, S3 never happened)

*Hurt For Me - (3k; may become M 15-20k+)

Sherlock Is A Girls Name - (2k, HLV, alt S3)

Next Time - (2k, angst, fluff, first kiss)

*Rarified - (2k, synesthesia, soulmates au)

Kiss Me Now Before You Go - (2k, WWII)

The Limp You Gave Me - (<2k, angst, post-TRF)

I Will Try (To Fix You) - (<2k, steampunk, TRF)

Summer Calling ... - (<1k, teenlock, skinny dipping)

Hope Eternal - (1k, Hobbit inspired, post-TRF fix-it)

The Genius Who Had No Heart In His Chest - (<1k, x reader)

*After All - (<1k, oneshot, idiots in love)

*Without A You - (<1k, without a clue, role rev.)

Into Battle - (<1k, oneshot, fixing S3 TSOT)

LIRIELS PROMPT FICS (Collection)

Most less than 1k words, oneshots, drabble, etc. prompted by Tumblr posts, asks, events, and challenges.

The Paper Boy (#sherlock challenge)

LOCK DOWN (#FFF155)

CATCH (#sherlock challenge)

H.O.U.N.D. (#FFF120)

S P I C E (#sherlock challenge)

The Cuts That Bleed (#FFF139)

Experiments in Conductivity (#FFF126)

Come Closer

Drowning (And I Thought You Knew)

THIINK TWIICE (#FFF125)

Upside Down (#sherlock challenge)

Speak For Me (#FFF154)

*Do Not Download The Souls (#FFF140)

*You Can See Me

The Highest Compliment

Never Gonna Dance Again

Constellations

RISE AND FALL (#FFF145)

LONG LOST ... (#holmestice)

LOST PUPPY

Paper Heart

Do Bees Kiss? or Just Sting?

Short Poems Are The Best

A Thing (destial news)

Three Little Words (groot & SH talking)

I Will Go Down With This Ship

What To Give The Detective Who Has Everything

The Devil Went Down To London

I Want To Love Him In The Sunlight (Clueda)

He Smiles (haiku, 7PercentSolution)

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit!

LIRIELS SHERLOCK POETRY (Collection)

Coffee and Then Coffee // A Million Things You Don't Do // RED // Empty Hearse // But I Can't // Welcome to London // The Next Time We Say Goodbye // We'll Go No More A-Sleuthing // Endgame // Invisible Man // Distractions // You Speak and Worlds Awaken // This Ending // 3rd is Last Place // Somebody's Someone // Undo Me // Without a Clue // I Fight the Need // Boxing Day // ... But I Can't Have Him // 2 B 1 // Your Orbit // Moving On // Infinity Smiles

LIRIELS PODFICS (Gifts for)

*Juxtaposition (Clueda)

How To Date Your Flatmate (EchoSilverWolf)

Prompt #49 Take Off Your Shirt (KittenKin)

The Wedding Gift (Calais_Reno)

Queer Eye: Johnlock Edition (fellshish)

I Speak for the Curls (ChrisCalledMeSweetie)

I Have Not Lingered (saintscully)

The Telltale Heart (Calais_Reno)

Tattered (SrebrnaFH)

SHERLOCK IS LIT Sherlocked blackout poems made from classic lit, Including: Alice in Wonderland, Charles Dickens' Bleak House, Sinbad the Sailor, Anne of Green Gables, Oliver Twist, and A Princess of Mars.

ROCK OUT WITH YOUR LOCK OUT Sherlocked rock music album covers, including: MCR, Pink Floyd, Flyleaf, Nirvana, Johnny Cash, Gotye, Breaking Benjamin, Adele, Pet Shop Boys, Marvin Gaye, Simon & Garfunkel, and FFDP.

(NOT SO) FAKE FIC TITLES Over 100+ fake fic titles to browse! From 75+ submitted prompts on Tumblr (thank you!) Intended to be 100% fake (but some I accidentally started ... so *shrug*)! Celebrating 100 works on Ao3! I fell down a Tumblr hole (inventing a new kind of torture) and having too much fun to leave it! A few (*) may yet become real boys ... INBOX OPEN!

LIRIELS SHERLOCK FAN ART Fan art made for the love of Johnlock, in any universe.

@johnlocky @ohlooktheresabee @fluffbyday-smutbynight @inevitably-johnlocked @chinike @rhasima @totallysilvergirl @missdeliadili @luciengenic @topsyturvy-turtely @justanobsessedpan @whatnext2020 @hp-nv-221b-3000 @timberva @gaylilsherlock @loki-lock @marta-bee @i-call-me-clarence @musingsofmyown @john-smiths-jawline @meetinginsamarra @geekinator @sail-on-silver-girl @jabbage @kettykika78 @arwamachine @calaisreno @notasinglesoul1 @peanitbear @glows-n-the-dark @im-erin @detafo @gregorovitchworld @sherlockwatson-holmes @riverwithoutbanks @ephemeraljimin @keirgreeneyes @so-youre-unattached-like-me @hasenkind687 @iamjustreading @discordantwords @raina-at @khorazir @bluebellofbakerstreet

[forsakensnakeskin]

Sulfur and Satan

Sulfur as an element

Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16.

Sulfur is the tenth most abundant element by mass in the universe and the fifth most on Earth.

Historically and in literature sulfur is also called brimstone, which means "burning stone".

Sulfur is an essential element for all life, but almost always in the form of organosulfur compounds or metal sulfides.

Sulfur is one of the core chemical elements needed for biochemical functioning and is an elemental macronutrient for all living organisms.

As a solid, sulfur is a characteristic lemon yellow; when burned, sulfur melts into a blood-red liquid and emits a blue flame.

Sulfur, usually as sulfide, is present in many types of meteorites.

The distinctive colors of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io are attributed to various forms of molten, solid, and gaseous sulfur.

Elemental sulfur can be found near hot springs and volcanic regions in many parts of the world, especially along the Pacific Ring of Fire; such volcanic deposits are currently mined in Indonesia, Chile, and Japan.

The radical anion S3− gives the blue color of the mineral lapis lazuli.

History

English translations of the Christian Bible commonly referred to burning sulfur as "brimstone", giving rise to the term "fire-and-brimstone" sermons, in which listeners are reminded of the fate of eternal damnation that await the unbelieving and unrepentant. It is from this part of the Bible that Hell is implied to "smell of sulfur" (likely due to its association with volcanic activity).

Early European alchemists gave sulfur a unique alchemical symbol, a triangle at the top of a cross (🜍).

Left: alchemical sign for sulfur/the combustible elements/Pallas

Center: 2/3rds of the Trinity sign, inverted/inverted phosphorus sign

Right: the alchemical sign for brimstone, an older/archaic name for sulfur.

In alchemy

Sulfur or soul, the principle of combustibility

Sulfur represents the soul in Alchemical philosophy. It is a volatile principle that relates to the individual essence of a being and expresses itself through unique compounds that are typically found in the oil of any given substance.

In association with Satan/Lucifer

Fire and brimstone frequently appear as agents of divine wrath throughout the Christian Book of Revelation culminating in chapters 19–21, wherein Satan and the ungodly are cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone (Greek: λίμνην τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης ἐν ��είῳ, limnēn tou pyros tēs kaiomenēs en thei).

Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Brimstone, an archaic term synonymous with sulfur, evokes the acrid odor of sulfur dioxide given off by lightning strikes.

The church fathers brought the fallen lightbringer Lucifer into connection with the devil on the basis of a saying of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (10.18 EU): "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning."

Sources

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_brimstone

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemical_symbol

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_brimstone

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_in_Christianity

http://www.alchemycology.com/sulfur/

[thetargaryenbride]

Nail To The Coffin - S3 - Chapter 2

Warnings: drinking chemicals, drugs, possession

Pairing: Steve Harrington x f!Byers!Reader

Word Count: 2909

A.N: Now this is the reason why I had reader take drugs occasionally. Because I wanted to insert her into Billy’s plotline of season 3 and make her a victim of the MF. But she would have had to drink chemicals and let’s face it, that is a certain death. That’s where the drugs come in as a loophole because she can suffer a fate just as bad as the other flayed without actually dying in the aftermath ;) As always, please do make me know if I’ve written certain characters OOC and if you think there is something that can be corrected within the story. Thank you for reading. Hope you like it! 🖤 🥀

Masterlist || Chapter 1 || Chapter 3

“Steve!” yelled Robin from the front, wishing he could be more responsible and come lend her a hand in dealing with the children who were pestering her for more free samples. However, the boy in question barely even heard her. He had shut down temporarily, robotically munching on a banana while his mind raced with thoughts.

He was thinking about too many things since last night.

He was thinking about you and how you didn’t show up at Hideaway. He waited for hours and at one point Eddie’s performance ended and the boy went to join Steve and talk to him. The two of them theorized why you hadn’t shown up but came up with no plausible reason. By the time he went back home, it was already way too late and he didn’t want to call your house and disturb everyone in the middle of the night. He waited until morning came and then ran to your home to ask your mother and brothers if they knew anything about what happened.

It would have worried him less if they had told him that you chose to stand him up. But they said that they haven’t heard from you since you left for your date with him. Joyce told him that a friend had called you, asking for help, and you had rushed out immediately after, saying it was urgent. But she didn’t know who the friend in question was which left Steve with more questions than answers and he had begrudgingly bid the Byers goodbye and had gone to work.

Ever since, he couldn’t stop thinking about the oddness of this situation, simply because he knew you would have called to tell him and cancel the date. You weren’t the kind of person to leave him hanging like that so his mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion which was that something bad must have happened to you.

He decided to give it some time despite his worry because he didn’t want to turn into a paranoid maniac but after everything you two went through, he couldn’t help but jump to worst-case scenarios.

“So what do you think?” asked Dustin, snapping Steve out of his thought trap.

“It sounded familiar,” he hummed as he popped a piece of banana in his mouth and Dustin furrowed his brows.

“What?”

“The music. The music right there at the end,” he pointed out and Dustin deadpanned.

“Why are you listening to the music, Steve? Listen to the Russian! We’re translating Russian!”

“I don’t know! I’m just…I can’t concentrate, dude, don’t hassle me,” groaned the boy. “I’m trying to listen to the Russian, but-”

“Alright, babysitting time is over,” snapped Robin as she threw open the door and stormed inside. “You need to get in there…Hey, my board! That was important data, shitbirds!”

“I guarantee you, what we’re doing is way more important than your data,” sassed Dustin and she strolled towards the table he was occupying.

“Yeah? And how do you know these Russians are up to no good anyways?”

“How does she know about the Russians?” mumbled Dustin with wide eyes as he looked at Steve and the boy shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“Ok, I think it’s high time you call Y/N and bring her in. She is amazing with languages. She has to know Russian!” exclaimed the boy and Steve shook his head.

“She knows some Egyptian and a little bit of Latin. Nothing in common with Russian, though.”

“I can’t believe you just said it as a matter of fact,” Robin shook her head in disbelief and Steve looked at her weirdly.

“But it is a fact!”

“Ok, whatever, the point is, I can hear everything you guys are saying. You are both extremely loud. You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you’re trying to translate, but haven’t figured out a single word because you didn’t realize that Russians use an entirely different alphabet than we do,” she rambled on and the two boys slowly looked at each other before back at her. “Sound about right?”

After that, Steve, Dustin, and Robin struck a deal and she got to help Dustin with translating while Steve headed back outside to work.

But his mind kept being occupied by one thought and that was you.

Billy felt like a wreck.

A shipwreck in the midst of a raging sea that was chomping away at him, taking bit by bit with every wave that crashed against him, slicing, eroding, fractions of his soul, his very essence, until he was left with scattered scraps he could not piece together even if he desperately wanted to.

He stumbled his way to the pool, not even being able to remember how and when he had gotten to his workplace in the first place. His memory was ever-changing. Some things he could remember, others were a blank spot.

He felt stifling hot, his head was a victim to splitting headaches, he was sweating profusely and everything was burning inside him.

“Billy? Are you ok?” asked one of the staff and he barely nodded.

The sunrays were devastatingly scorching.

He breathed heavily as his eyes darted between the cool pool water and the multiple people. All the noise was making his ears ring.

Then suddenly, everything got muffled as if he was listening from underwater and the only voice he was able to hear clearly was yours, calling out to him, begging him, screaming.

And memories from last night flooded his foggy brain.

Your eyes fluttered open and at first, you were extremely disoriented and your vision was blurry. Everything around you was so dark that you could barely make out if you were in your own room or locked in a dream.

Then you felt dull stinging and throbbing in your cheek, head, knees, and arms, and all began returning to you.

The cemetery.

The chase.

Billy.

You shot up in a sitting position only to fall back down because when you tried using your arms to lift your body, you realized they were bound tightly by ropes. You grunted as you tried to sit up again, this time using and balancing your strength properly so you could succeed without the help of your arms. You looked around, your breathing picking up nervously when you were finally able to take a better look at your surroundings, realizing you were in some kind of abandoned building and there was nothing in sight.

That is until you heard the sound of footsteps bouncing off the walls, making it seem like they were coming from everywhere.

“Who goes there!?” you yelled as your head darted from side to side, trying to take a look at the person. “Billy! Are you there!?”

“Shh,” sounded a familiar voice right behind you, and you felt a hand bury in your hair and grasp the locks gently. “Don’t make a sound,” he drawled in your ear and your heartbeat increased rapidly.

“W-what do you want? Why are you d-doing this?” you stuttered out, trying to calm down your wrecked with tremors body.

“I’m not doing this for me…A special someone wanted to have you real bad,” he whispered and you gulped.

“I don’t understand,” you cleared your throat as you tried to steady your voice.

“Try not to move. Be very…very…still,” he mumbled before releasing you and that’s when you heard something you hoped to never hear again – growling.

And when you looked up, you saw the most skewered, sickening, horrendous-looking monster you’ve ever laid eyes on. This one put the Demogorgon to shame.

You tried moving backwards, only to fall on your back. You began crawling, eyes unable to tear away from the approaching monstrosity and filling with tears of utter terror.

“No…Please!” you sobbed as the thing got closer to you and you turned to look at Billy who was simply standing there, looking on monotonously at the unfolding scene. “Billy, please! Please, help me!” you cried out with tears streaming down your cheeks and a trembling voice. “Whatever this thing is forcing you to do we can stop it! Please!” you bawled and you jumped in fright, letting out a strangled yelp, when you felt the monster stop at your legs, eyes snapping to look at the vine it was extending from its mouth before you looked back to the boy. “Billy, please!” you shrieked before the vine was forcefully shoved onto your mouth and you felt your body being invaded by shadows before everything faded into darkness.

Billy’s eyes watered at the memory as a sickening feeling clutched at his insides, seizing him in a chokehold, and he found it difficult to breathe as he clumsily made his way down the pool, bumping into a couple of people in the process, and towards the staff rooms. He all but fell through a couple of doors, staggering through the turns and brick corridors, before getting into the backroom and shutting the door with force.

A feeling of dread washed over him and he felt nauseous as he kept hearing you screaming and begging. His hands flew to grasp his head, palms going flat against his ears in hopes to deafen himself to your cries but nothing helped. He felt like he was about to explode not only from the physical pain but from the mental and emotional turmoil that was eating him from the inside out. 

The feelings of guilt, regret, shame, fear, and hopelessness were off the charts.

Then all of a sudden, a sense of calm washed over him and for a second everything he previously felt was pushed to the very back of his mind as he straightened up and made his way towards the shelves full of cleaning chemicals. He felt like he was being pulled by an invisible force as he grabbed a bottle and unclasped it as if in a trance. He wanted to stop but he was stuck. The spider has got him in its web and was tearing off his wings so he couldn’t escape from its sticky prison and had to suffer a slow death. He could only watch his body do the unimaginable. He brought the bottle full of toxic liquid to his mouth and took a couple of big gulps.

It was as if burning flames licked at his insides but at the same time, it made him feel more alive and stronger than ever.

“Billy?��� came Karen’s voice from behind him and he slowly left the bottle down, the feeling of calmness and strength slowly beginning to chip away like the paint of an old rusty car as the previous emotions of dread, regret, guilt, and fear began creeping back up on him.

“I,” she sighed. “I understand if you’re angry with me. I just…I wanted to explain why I didn’t come last night… It’s not you, it’s just…I have a family. And I can’t do anything that will hurt them. You can understand that, right?” she asked hopefully with a bit of guilt lacing her voice and all he wanted to do was crush her head against the metal shelves. In fact, the urge was so strong that for a split second, he vividly imagined and felt himself doing exactly that.

“Billy, please!”   

He heard your sobs once again and the feelings of dread, regret, guilt, and fear that had been slowly creeping back in, suddenly hit him full force. They were so powerfully overwhelming that the force felt almost physical, like a strong Californian wave crashing against him, hurtling him back into that nauseating state he was in before he had been compelled to drink the chemicals.

I don’t want to do this again. I never want to do this again is what he cried out in his head at the thought of you and he was able to regain control and stop himself from doing something bad to Karen.

“Billy? Please, will you talk to me?” she spoke softly.

He exhaled sharply as he turned to face the woman and mumbled lowly, “Stay away from me, Karen.”

And then he left back outside, once again falling into the torturous embrace of the sun and the dreadful feeling of something bubbling up inside him that was taking control of his body and mind bit by bit. 

Later this afternoon

“Jesus H. Christ! What do you want!?” yelled Eddie into the phone once he picked up because the device hadn’t stopped ringing for what felt like hours and Eddie was extremely groggy and pissed at being woken up by the shrill sound, interrupting his much-needed rest after last night’s tiring performance. 

“Munson, you son of a bitch! Pick up your damn phone, will ya!?” his eardrums got busted by no other than his drug dealer Reefer Rick.

As if that hadn’t been enough, he had spent the majority of the night brooding at home, being worried about you and the way you had stood up Steve which was something you would never do even if you were pissed at the boy. He had been up and about, smoking weed and pacing until morning before passing out from exhaustion.

“Why are you calling me here? Are you crazy!?” bit the boy angrily.

“Am I crazy? I’m the one who should be asking that question, dude! Once I get my hands on you, you’re dead meat!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Eddie barked confoundedly and the man let out a short mocking laughter.

“You really wanna play that game? Fine, I’ll tell you what I’m talking ‘bout. Someone broke into my house and stole all my stash! And I’m talking all the special, heavy stuff too! Do you know how many I had and the money I was gonna make outta them? I’m distributing not only to Hawkins but to all smaller towns in the area!” growled the man and Eddie did a double take.

“Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on! You think I stole? From you!? Are you kidding me right now? It’s like you don’t fucking know me, man! I’d never steal!” yelled the boy.

“Oh, yeah? And how can you prove that to me?”

“I don’t know! Come check the trailer if you want! But I swear I’m telling the fucking truth! You can ask at the Hideaway if you want! I was there last night and stayed until after twelve am then I came straight home!” he tried to explain himself and Rick huffed.

“Then who would come steal from me!? There’s probably only one person in this godforsaken town that knows I deal and that’s you!”

And then Eddie’s blood ran cold.

He wasn’t the only person who knew about Rick.

His friends knew about him too because Eddie had told them and that included you.

And now his mind went to places he used to be too afraid to explore.

He was beginning to put two and two together and he didn’t like the outcome at all.

He had to find you and he had to do it fast because something very horrible was grasping at him, suddenly choking the air out of him, and he wanted to make sure he was wrong about it all.

But first, he had to deal with Rick because he didn’t want to get himself into further trouble.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!? I swear if this is some kind of fucked up way to get back at me for doing what I did-“

“Shh,” you put a finger to your mouth as your hand brushed the bangs away from the boy’s clammy forehead.  

“Wasn’t it enough for you that I spent time in Juvie? I paid for my crimes!” snapped Nathaniel angrily but there was fear that could be detected in his voice.

“Be quiet,” you hushed him gently as you took a big package of white powder and poured a big pile onto your palm. You brought your nose to your hand and snorted as much as you could. The rest – you licked.

“What is wrong with you?” stammered the boy in utter shock as he watched you inhale what he supposed was cocaine. You crossed your arms on top of your knees and laid your head on them, looking at the boy through half-lidded, red-rimmed eyes.

Then he heard the sound of growling and he froze, more sweat forming on his forehead and dripping down his cheek.

“Try to be very, very, still,” you whispered monotonously as you watched him turn around slowly and face the monster.

Your face was devoid of emotion as you watched him scream and writhe while getting flayed.   

Deep inside, you were screaming.

You felt as if you were in the backseat of a car that was hurtling towards the edge of a cliff. An unknown force was driving, increasing the speed with each passing second and you couldn’t take control of the wheel. You writhed and trashed against the belts but they only grew in number and wrapped even tighter around you, choking you. You could only watch as the car flew off the cliff, the sinking feeling in your stomach growing exponentially and swallowing you whole. Your heart flew out of its bone prison and then you were submerged underwater.

You couldn’t move.

You couldn’t breathe.

And there was no one to pull you out.